Life is full of wicked turns
by Firefly the Dark Mystic
Summary: What do you do when faced with a decision that could save an entire race? Would you be willing to give up everything, even who you are? Would you be willing to no longer be yourself, but someone new? Elly made her choice, and now, she has to face the consequences of that choice. Disregarding the Cybertronian that YANKED her from her home universe into her favorite fandom. Great.
1. So it begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 08/02/2016 (scary isn't it?) Published: 7/6/17

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

Chapter Warnings: Injuries due to a car accident, mild cursing.

Chapter One: So it begins...

* * *

It's a difficult decision, to sacrifice your personality, your very soul, in order to help another. To allow another to change you irrevocably, to the point that you aren't even sure if you're even you anymore. Not many people are willing to do that, they have important responsibilities, loved ones, which they are unwilling to let go. Most wouldn't even consider it. There are, however, a select few, who feel they have less to lose, and accept that decision. I never thought that I would be presented such a circumstance, nor that I would be one of the latter.

My name is Elaina, or Elly, I'm twenty-four years old, have been working at the same place for nearly six years, taking the occasional college course when I'm able to afford it, and basically a perfectly ordinary young woman. I have varied interests, including being an adoring transfan. I will be the first to admit that I'm a dork and nerd, and perfectly boring. I rarely go out, occasionally will get together with coworkers and work friends, but am pretty solitary most of the time. My time is divided mostly into work, sleep, and my leisure/reading/hobby time, with the occasional outing as previously mentioned. Finishing up yet another boring work week, dealing with annoyed customers, irritating people at work, and the overall stress of it combined, my normal, ordinary, and boring life quickly flipped upside down, quite literally in my case.

* * *

" _All I wanna do is go home and pass out_ ," the twenty-four year old resisted the urge to thump her forehead against the wheel. Struggling to contain the massive yawn creeping up her throat, she drowsily inched forward as the car ahead of her made the right turn. The bright red glow from the light cast shadows across her car's dashboard, moving as her 09' Ford crept closer to the line. She waited patiently, nearly nodding off occasionally, until the cars rushing past had vanished. Glancing at the green light, she confirmed the coast was clear, before pulling forward cautiously. This turn was the fastest way home from her work, but she always proceeded with caution with it. The intersection had a steep hill and curve, potentially hiding incoming cars from view. She had just finished paying off her car, thanks, she didn't need repairs or a replacement. She should have known that she shouldn't have tried to take this turn when she was dead tired.

Bright white lights blinded her as a loud horn bellowed out. Looking to her left, halfway through the turn, she couldn't even scream when a silver sports car sped into her, clipping the driver's side engine panel, and causing her to spin rapidly. The horn didn't come from the sports car, however, but from the semi that the sports car had been in front of. She managed to catch another glimpse of bright headlights, before the truck hit her rear. The crunch of metal was loud in her ears, the scream in her throat trapped as she felt her little Ford slam into the guardrail before everything went flying. Her seatbelt strained and bruised her torso, trying to keep her firmly planted in her seat, as her car barrel-rolled several times, rolling down an incline and into a ditch, upside-down for several centuries-long seconds, before with a mighty groan, landing right side up.

" _My apologies…"_ she barely heard something hiss.

"B-bad, Si-de-ways," she murmured, slumping into her seat. She could faintly hear a loud voice calling her, before her door was pried open. Her chocolate eyes fluttered, a hazy red liquid dripping into them, making her vision blurred.

"Miss, Miss! My apologies, Miss! You need to remain awake!" The man was tall, she noted, his short hair ruffled and messily falling around his cheeks, but his bright blue eyes seemed to glow, a slight shadow of facial hair on his cheeks and chin. Blinking at him, as he leaned in to try and unbuckle her, his voice shifted, from panicked and scared, to soothing calm. "You are safe now, I apologize for hitting you, young one," As he lifted her carefully from her car, her nose tucked against his neck, she weakly coughed as pain radiated up her arms and legs. Breathing in weakly, feeling her vision darken, Elly idly realized underneath the diesel grease, sweat, and blood, he smelled like a thunderstorm, the taste of electricity filling her mouth and making her tongue tingle.

"T-than-ks, OP…" his eyes flickered, surprised, before concerned.

"Miss, you must remain awa-,"

* * *

The soft sounds of machines and beeping slowly stirred her awake, a strong antiseptic scent making her nose crinkle before a sneeze abruptly snatched her from peaceful oblivion. With the abrupt movement, pain slammed into the petite figure, a startled cry of discomfort bursting from chapped lips as chocolate eyes watered. At the sound, a nurse darted into the room, fiddling with the IV drip, and murmuring soothingly to the young woman on the bed. After several long minutes, Elaina managed to open her eyes again, the pain dissipating to a dull throb, until she could concentrate on the nurse's voice.

"Miss Elaina, is that better?" Nodding weakly, her head ached as she turned it, to peer at him. Squinting her eyes at him, since she wasn't wearing her glasses, she watched as he adjusted the settings on the drip, before tidying up the tiny table. She could see a couple of cards and a tiny vase of flowers, which brought a tiny smile to her face, feeling the warmth of love bubble up. Turning her focus on the nurse, she felt confusion rise.

"H-how did…?" her dry throat protested her abuse, making her cough. Gentle hands stroked her head as a small cup of water was pressed to her lips, helping her swallow a few sips.

"You were in an accident," his voice was smooth and soft, she realized, sitting back. As he explained what he knew, she studied him. His short hair was soft brown, neatly trimmed, clean shaven face, soft blue eyes, and a single scar on his left cheek, almost hidden by his hair. His form was trim and slim, tall, and surprisingly graceful, and his nametag read J. Holt. Biting her lip, to control the sudden urge to giggle, she imagined he would make a pretty handsome holoform for Jolt. Focusing on him, she frowned as she caught inconsistencies with what she vaguely remembered. According to the police, who wrote down on her chart, she had been turning onto an intersection when a sports car had sped through the red light, hitting her, and sending her into the path of a semi, which sent her rolling down into a ditch.

She thought the semi had been behind the sports car, in fact she was almost positive that she hadn't spiraled into incoming traffic, but had spun in her lane until the semi had sent her into the ditch. There was also no mention of the truck driver who had pulled her from her totaled Ford. She didn't say anything though, the truck driver had saved her, especially once James, he introduced himself as, told her that her car had caught fire soon after she had crawled out of it. He repeatedly told her that she was lucky to survive, that the fire had been small but centered on the driver's side.

Once the painkillers had fully taken effect, she had fuzzily counted her injuries, James helping her and explaining what she needed to do to take care of them. Her right wrist had several hairline fractures, keeping it in a hard splint, but she was used to that. She had weak wrists and constantly sprained them, so she knew how to handle that. Her left ankle was badly sprained, with two bones in her foot with clean breaks, so she was currently wearing what her mom un-affectionately called 'the boot.' Considering her mom's constant ability to break her feet and not even realize, she had some experience in handling that as well. She had a slight concussion, and her shoulders were pretty sore, but other than that, it was mostly severe bruising on her torso and chest. A few lacerations from shrapnel would give her a couple of small scars on her arms and thighs, but she emerged whole, and in pretty good condition.

Over the course of the next two days, her family visited her, her mom crying and babying her the entire time. A couple of her coworker friends also stopped by, teasing her about the clunky splints she was wearing, before leaving little gifts. When she was finally released, she had three days medical leave from work, which she fully intended on using to find a new car. To her utter surprise, and her family's surprise as well, the insurance company had been quick to give her a check to replace her car. Her little sister was both grudging and happy to be her chauffeur, taking her to various places. Unlike Elly, her little sister had immediately bought a sports car as soon as she was eighteen, despite the high insurance rates. Her sporty Dodge was the same year and price as her simple Ford, but with higher insurance rate, plus she was only eighteen. Elly wondered what she was thinking, but her sister loved her car and managed to afford the payments, so she didn't say anything. Now, though, Emily was trying to convince her to buy a sportier car instead of a simple and average point A to point B vehicle.

"Come on, Lee-lee! They gave you a check that was MORE than what you paid for your other car, you can afford to get a nicer car now! Maybe you'll even be able to FINALLY get a boyfriend or girlfriend,"

"Don't you think that's a little strange though, Em?" Elaina protested, watching her sister's blonde curls bob up and down as they listened to the radio. Emily was far more energetic and hyper, her dark blonde curls naturally falling to her shoulders when dry, and looking like one of those expensive perms that women are always trying to imitate. Her chocolate eyes were the same as Elaina's except she had tiny golden specks in them, and Elly had a ring of gray on the outer rim of hers. Em was always asking when her big sisters would get boyfriends, or girlfriends, as the case was in their oldest sister. Sam was more of an introvert than Elly was, and had finally admitted to thinking she was a lesbian, except she wasn't interested in actually FINDING a girlfriend.

Elly was the same, except she felt she was bisexual, but only in the respect that she found both male and female bodies sexually attractive. If only she was actually interested in sex, then she might be interested in finding a significant other. She wasn't however, interested in anything other than friendship, and her sisters and older brother constantly teased her and blamed her addiction to Transformers for it. So what if she secretly dreamed of becoming a Sparkmate to a Cybertronian, instead of marrying a squishy human? Marriage could so easily fall apart, but Spark-bonding? That was far more permanent, and something that really enticed her. She had lost a lot of friends in her childhood, it seemed that once she started to really open up to them: they seemed to drift away until she was alone in a crowded room. Her junior year of high school, she had just stopped reaching out to people. She interacted with them, put on a cheerful happy façade, was helpful and kind, but didn't really open up anymore. The few times she did, they seemed to shrug it off or disregard it, making her close back up again. So perhaps it might be strange to others, but her Cybertronian addiction pretty much was the only thing that kept her interacting normally with human beings.

"Well yeah, but hey, they gave you the check, too late to do anything about it now," Em grinned. Elaina glanced down at her lap, she had a bad feeling as soon as she had opened the letter from the insurance company. Seeing the amount they said they would reimburse her to get a new car had been stunning, she had expected maybe a couple grand, (after a long fight), not enough to possibly replace her car completely. More than that though, her medical insurance had also contacted her, said her medical bills were being taken care of thanks to the insurance of the one who hit her. Since it was considered a hit-and-run, according to the police, it made no sense at all, and left the bad feeling to multiply. Even worse, she neglected to tell her little sister that she was feeling paranoid. They had gone to several of the nearest used dealerships, the first couple had been alright, but thanks to her hesitance in regards to the check, she hadn't really picked out anything. The third and fourth dealership, however, she had spotted a truck and car. As Em had oo'ed and aw'd over the sports cars, she had wandered over to the ones that had caught her attention.

The truck was the first one she had approached, despite her practical side preferring a more gas-friendly and environmentally-sound vehicle. She allowed herself to look however, looking and not touching was one of her favorite hobbies, until her curiosity was satisfied. Circling around, her eyes caught on the license plate, which made her flush as she realized she was ogling someone's truck and not one that was for sale. However, as she noted it, her smile faded into a frown. The black truck was hot and masculine, and the plate was customized to reflect that, but it spelled out: IRNHDE. It wasn't a GMC Topkick, she noted, but it was a large truck with smokestacks, and could easily be mistaken for the alt form of the Weapons Specialist. Circling the truck again, she felt her breath catch when she saw the small Autobot symbol, before grinning and shaking her head.

"Cut it out, probably just a fan's truck. Customized plates are expensive, and the insignias can be bought at any specialty store," she murmured. She resisted the urge to touch it, though, just barely, before turning away. Unable to resist the compliment, however, she threw over her shoulder: "Handsome and gorgeous mech you are though,"

The fourth dealership had a sleek Subaru that Emily ogled for a moment, before finding a flashier and sportier car. Elly eyed it for a long moment as well, again, noticing it had a license plate, one reading BLRRBOT. A quick Google search had her giggling for a moment, agreeing that the Subaru WRX would be an excellent alt for the fastest Autobot. Of course as she walked around it, her eyes noted the familiar insignia, and her heart-rate nearly skyrocketed. _"What are the odds, that I'd find TWO Autobot transfans in one day, at two different dealerships?"_ she wondered. Her eyes looking around, she realized something else. Both the truck and the car had been parked _inside_ the lots designated for the vehicles for sale, not the actual parking lots.

On the way to the fifth dealership, a migraine forming, she couldn't help but notice a black SUV keeping about two or three cars between them. Due to the angle, she couldn't see inside the vehicle, but her paranoia was practically buzzing warnings. For once in her life, as she looked around the fifth dealership, she prayed to Primus that she did not find a car with an Autobot insignia. Avoiding the flashier concept cars, both because of her thrifty nature as well as to avoid seeing any possible transfan vehicles, she stuck closer to the ones within the check amount. Mentally calculating possible tax amounts, she figured she could go for a slightly better car, and pay the minimal over what the check would cover. While checking out a decently aged and priced Dodge, she felt someone yank on the back of her hoodie, sending her flailing backwards with a startled shriek. Em's laughter resounded in her ears as her back slammed into the side of a nearby car.

"OMG, Lee-lee! Your face was absolutely AWESOME!" she snickered. With a groan, Elly gave her the bird as she struggled to get back up. The crutch she had to help with her left ankle was more of a hindrance than a help, but she quickly figured a new and resourceful use for it. "Ow, Lee! Don't hit me with that thing!" As she managed to get to her feet again, the salesperson Em had been talking to, approached them. With an embarrassed flush, Elly yanked her hood down, not soon enough however. She resignedly watched the startled look then pity form on the man's face, seeing the bruises and cuts on her cheeks, his eyes dropping to the two splints and the crutch, before nervousness flickered across his face. "Here's my sister, some asshole totaled her car and ran off! Now she's gotta find a new car!" and Emily saves the day, again. The nervousness faded as the man smiled and started his usual sale's pitch, Elly blocked him out as she turned to check the car she had unwittingly been introduced to.

The very first thing she noticed was that it definitely did not belong in this area of the lot. Sleek smooth lines and curves, a highly polished silver-chrome that was nearly mirror-like reflective. "I see you're interested in our Forgiato Corvette, although I'm not sure how it got over here," the man's name tag read Charlie, she noted, as he looked confusedly at the car. At the name of the company, Elly felt a bit faint. Limping around, she let her eyes follow the smooth edges, idly hearing Em gush about the car, with Charlie puffed up and going into all sorts of details, obviously flirting with the nineteen year old. As she circled around, Elly's throat dry, her eyes landed on the license plate: SIDSWPE.

"Em, I'm not feeling too good, perhaps we should continue tomorrow?" she interrupted, hobbling over.

"Well, okay, but it'll have to be after I get off work,"

"That's fine, let's go," she ignored her little sister's inquiries, as well as Charlie's attempts to get them to stay. All she could think about was that three times in one day could NOT be a coincidence, and she needed to go lay down. As they left the dealership, she hunched down, staring intently out the mirrors, observing the black SUV had appeared again.

"Lee, ya gonna tell me what that was all about?"

"You'll think I'm crazy,"

"We're related, I KNOW you're crazy,"

"We're being followed,"

"What the fuck?"

"This black SUV has been following us since the third dealership, and for some reason I keep spotting cars with the Autobot insignias. I mean I know they're starting to get more popular now, but three times in one day, at three different dealerships? I'm lucky if I spot a cheap sticker decal in a month! Let alone full-blown metal die-cast insignias."

"Uh, Lee? What the fuck is an Autobot?" Elly's breath caught, turning wide eyes to her little sister. Staring at her for a long moment, she felt her pulse quicken. Her little sister might not have been a fan, but she knew enough to buy a bunch of transformers memorabilia for her. She KNEW what an Autobot and a Decepticon was, at the very least.

"Never mind, it must have been the migraine. You know, light concussion and all. Tomorrow's okay right? I'm sorry, I promised today,"

"It'll just have to be after four, when I get off. But seriously, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired. Um, don't tell mom or dad, okay?"

"Sure, but really, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" even she could hear the slight hysterical tone wavering in her voice.

"You're really pale, and your nose is bleeding." Fingertips touched her upper lip, coming away with the copper-tasting liquid.

"Shit," as she one-handed dug around for something, she wondered when the last time she had a nosebleed happen. It had really started when she had stressed out over one of her exams, she recalled, the stress had given her one of her most agonizing migraines, but she had continued studying until blood had dripped onto her papers. Ever since then, whenever she had become overly stressed out, she would get a nosebleed. So much fun at work. She finally found some tissues just as they pulled into the driveway. Elly noted as they climbed out, that the SUV had parked itself at the end, nearly hidden from view. As they walked up to the door, however, Emily pointed out the nondescript car sitting innocently in the street in front of the house.

"We're home!"

"Hi sweeties, did you find a car?"

"No, we'll be going tomorrow, Elly's not feeling too good,"

"Oh, dear. Elly, you have visitors, do you want me to ask them to come back another time?"

"Who?" Elly's question was muffled, thanks to the tissues, which immediately had her mom fussing over her. Tilting her head, both away from her overprotective mom, as well as to get a glimpse, she spotted two men dressed in suits sitting in the living room.

"You're supposed to be resting right now, see, you've gotten another nosebleed. I swear, you need to relax, and stop worrying about everything. I can drive you to work if needed, you don't have to stress out about getting a car right away."

"Mom, I'm fine, lemme go talk to my visitors," she washed her face before limping into the living room. As nervous as she was, she knew she needed to get these strangers out of the house, fast. Her little sister's ignorance to her favorite fandom had shaken her up, not to mention the oddness at the dealerships. "Sorry about that,"

"Ah, Miss Elaina, right?" the older gentleman greeted, standing and shaking her hand. The younger also stood and gave a brief handshake as well, she noted, but he was utterly silent, staring at her with a displeased expression.

"Hi, and you gentlemen are?" Her mom raised her to be polite, even if she was feeling subpar.

"I am Peter Johnson, and my partner is John Peterson," he introduced. She bit her tongue, giving them a pleasant, if confused smile. She wondered if those names were true, or just aliases, considering how ironic they were. "We are investigating your accident, we have reason to believe that the ones who hit you are in fact wanted fugitives. We simply want to go over what we know and see if you remember anything else?"

"Wanted fugitives?" she repeated, looking at them oddly. Bad feeling getting worse.

"Indeed, so anything you can recall to help us."

"I don't remember much,"

"That's quite alright, please."

"Well, I was really tired, it was a long day at work. Um, well I was at a red light, waiting to do a right turn. When the traffic cleared, I double-checked, then started pulling out,"

"Wasn't it a green light by then?"

"I don't remember, I thought it was still red, but it could have been green."

"Go on,"

"Um, I saw bright white headlights, turned to look and the silver sports car nearly t-boned me,"

"You say nearly t-boned? It didn't actually hit you?" Mr. Johnson was writing everything down.

"It did, it clipped the side of my car and sent me spinning. Next thing I know, I hear a loud horn and the squeal of brakes, before everything goes flying. I think I rolled a couple times, down into a ditch, before everything stopped moving,"

"Can you describe the sports car as well as the other vehicle?"

"Well, I know it was silver, and obviously will have some damage to its," she paused, raising her hands in front of her for a moment, "Right front bumper, from hitting me. Most likely paint transfer as well."

"Did you see the driver?"

"No, the headlights were too bright,"

"Can you describe the second vehicle?"

"Um, from the horn, I'm guessing a semi, but I didn't see it."

"So you didn't see it braking?" Mr. Peterson spoke up for the first time.

"No, but I could hear them squealing, air-brakes aren't the quietest things on the road," he didn't smile at her joke, but instead scowled at her.

"Can you recall anything else?"

"Nope, everything after that is blank, well until I woke up in the hospital. The nurse ran in to give me painkillers. He also told me a bit of what happened."

"Wait, you spoke to a nurse?" Mr. Johnson's friendly grandfather persona cracked.

"Well, yes."

"What was his name?" Bewildered, Elly glanced at Peterson, only to see him staring right back.

"Um," shrugging, "James?"

"His last name?"

"I don't remember," she lied, "He was really nice, though, why are you asking about him?"

"We believe there was someone at the hospital working with the fugitives, in fact, we're worried that you might be followed, to be silenced, by these men."

"Wait, what? Back up, what the fuck?"

"You've become involved with a group of highly dangerous individuals, Miss Elaina, and we have reason to believe they will silence you if you are able to identify them."

"Oh, is that all?" Elly felt faint, gripping her jeans on her knees.

"If you notice anything out of the ordinary, please, don't hesitate to call," Mr. Johnson pulled free a business card, handing it to her with a gentle smile. It had a single phone number, no name, just the number.

"Sure," she was positive she was about to fall over. She barely managed to see them to the door, watching them climb into the nondescript car parked on the street, leaving easily. Escaping to her room, she practically collapsed onto her bed, scooting up to curl up amidst the numerous blankets and pillows. With a groan, she turned over, eyes automatically seeking across the room to the top shelf. "Things keep getting stranger and stranger, huh guys?" it took about thirty seconds for her eyes to realize that the familiar forms of her prized trine were missing. Sitting up, squinting, thinking perhaps they had fallen over, she stared at the empty shelf. "What the fuck?!" Lurching off her bed, she climbed up to stare at the shelf. Gone. All of her transformer toys were _gone._ Her Seeker Trine, it had taken her MONTHS to complete, as well as her favorite Prime Soundwave, just gone. The rest of her action figures were tucked in boxes in storage, but she had kept those four out in her room, as well as the mini-Ravage USB drive.

"No, no, no, no, no," Digging through all the drawers and storage containers, she was practically in tears by the time she accepted they were gone. Grabbing her laptop, she quickly searched her browser history, stunned at the lack of transformer bookmarks. Her fanfiction sites were also missing the entire fandom, movie-verse and cartoon alike. A quick Google search only brought up electrical transformers. Grabbing her collection of USB drives, she accessed her written stories. Her heart calmed when she realized that the one USB she carried everywhere, her master USB hidden inside a necklace, had all of her transformer stories, but none of the others did. All of the fanart she had saved to her hard drive was also missing. A quick dig through her jewelry box also came up empty for her transformers-themed earrings and necklaces. "What the hell is going on?" she moaned, flopping back onto her bed, wincing as she jostled her injuries.

"There is no fragging way that I was somehow transported into their dimension," she muttered, despite having read far too many fanfics that eerily matched her situation. "Keep ya head down, Els, don't mention anything to anyone, and don't look them up on the Internet," she pouted. As much as she enjoyed imagining meeting them, she was a pessimistic realist, understanding that she wouldn't be buddy-buddies with the Autobots, and if they were real then the Decepticons sure as hell were as well. Hell, if anything, she would be arrested and thrown in the brig for her knowledge of them. Best to keep her head down and eyes closed, so to speak. If only it would be that simple.

* * *

How did you like the first chapter? Read and enjoy!


	2. The oddities just keep coming

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started:08/19/2016

Published:07/09/2017

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

Chapter Warnings: Too much sarcasm, mild cursing, too much text abbreviations in a verbal conversation, and Elly smacks a Decepticon, what?

Chapter Two: The oddities just keep coming...

* * *

 _Previously:_

"There is no fragging way that I was somehow transported into their dimension," she muttered, despite having read far too many fanfics that eerily matched her situation. "Keep ya head down, Els, don't mention anything to anyone, and don't look them up on the Internet," she pouted. As much as she enjoyed imagining meeting them, she was a pessimistic realist, understanding that she wouldn't be buddy-buddies with the Autobots, and if they were real then the Decepticons sure as hell were as well. Hell, if anything, she would be arrested and thrown in the brig for her knowledge of them. Best to keep her head down and eyes closed, so to speak. If only it would be that simple.

* * *

The next day was thankfully free of cars wearing the Autobot insignia, the fact that Elly had remained hidden away in her room for most of the day certainly didn't help in the slightest, please note the sarcasm. When her little sister came to pick her up, she nearly lied and claimed nausea, but she really needed a car. Funny how one comes to find out just how dependent upon one's vehicle is, when said vehicle was gone. With her little sister's poking and prodding, however, Elly finally decided to splurge a bit and got her favorite model. A 2007 Saleen Mustang in a rich sapphire. It was a bit over the amount of the insurance check, but she had enough money saved up to pay that minimal amount off easily. Emily was pleasantly surprised, but then again, she also wasn't, since Elly had on more than one occasion drooled about how in love she was with the sleeker Ford Mustangs. Her younger sister merely smiled indulgently as she crooned over the curves and lines, laughing quietly at the almost traumatized look on the salesman's face.

"You realize, that humping your car might not be the best thing to do in a dealership, right? They might kick us out,"

"I bought him, he's mine, and I'll hump him when we get home."

"TMI sis, TMI,"

"You really need to stop talking with text abbreviations,"

"But it's so much fun!"

"No, it's annoying," Emily left soon after, leaving Elly to fill out paperwork. With the official business out of the way, she finally slipped into the driver's seat again and rested her forehead against the wheel. The last couple of days had been stressful, she simply wanted a few moments of freedom to breathe. The buzz and soft chirp of her cell interrupted her quiet moment, making her curse as she struggled to pull it out of her pocket. Tilting her head, she frowned at the unknown number, swiping her thumb across the screen and typing in her code. Her mouth went dry as she clicked on the new text message, staring at the short text.

" _We are watching you."_

"That isn't creepy at all," clicking her cell off, she leaned against the seat and rubbed her eyes. A sharp pain in her chest promptly had her gasping, her hand rising to press against the pain. For several long moments, she tried desperately to breathe, her heart pounding erratically. She could have also sworn that it skipped several beats, making panic claw at her throat. When she was finally able to breathe semi-normally, she pressed her fingers into her wrist, counting the heartbeats. When she was calm, she touched her chest, feeling her heart, before noticing something odd. Pressing her fingers over her sternum, she felt her bruises twinge, but underneath the bone, she felt a strange vibrating sensation matching her heartbeat. "Time to go home," she shook off the strange feeling, buckling up and leaving the dealership. On her way home, her eyes kept catching glimpses of the black SUV. Despite her desire, she ignored the feeling to take the roundabout back ways. If the SUV really was following her, she didn't want to alert them that she knew they were there. Not to mention the fact that awesome car chases only existed in movies, she wasn't willing to risk her own and innocent lives.

Halfway home, however, she caught a glimpse of a familiar vehicle, the Forgiato Corvette. Just as she glimpsed it, the black SUV screeched a sudden left turn, the Corvette's engine revving dangerously as it sped up next to her. Breathing erratically again, she watched the silver sports car keep pace with her for a good ten seconds before gunning it, shooting ahead and in front of her, slicing through traffic with inhuman ease, and making a sharp left turn. By the time she had made it home, she was trembling so hard from nerves that she nearly fell out of her car and ran inside. She didn't, however, for two main reasons. The text was still fresh in her mind, and she had passed the same car that the two agents had left in. It was parked two houses down, in clear view to watch her park and walk up the driveway. Once inside, she pasted a smile on her face as her mom eagerly greeted her, before dragging her outside to see her new 'toy' as she referred to it. Smiling and laughing with her, Elly let her mind go numb for a few minutes, before they went back inside. Thankfully, her mom asked the question after she had closed the door.

"So what are you going to call him?"

"W-what?" she choked.

"You are always naming your electronic things. Your computers, your cell, your old car, bless old Batty for protecting you," she flushed at the nickname. Her old car was a dingy gray-black, and she had nicknamed it Batman, mostly to piss off her older sister, or Batty, since it had a few odd glitches.

"I, don't know yet, I'm going to go, re-do my bug out bag," she stammered, disappearing into her room after hearing her mom's approving hum. Once in the safety of her room, she looked around blankly before her excuse turned into a good idea. Grabbing the simple black and gray backpack, thankful that her dad had managed to pull it out of her totaled Batty. It was actually soothing and monotonous, to empty out her emergency bag and repack it. It refreshed her memory of what was in it, and where she had tucked everything in. Her fingers brushed against the cold metal of her extra magazines, making her pause. Pulling those out, she tucked the other emergency supplies back inside, before setting the bag beside her door, waiting to be tucked into the trunk of her car. In the meantime, she pulled out the locked case in her bottom drawer. Dialing the combination, she opened it, staring down at her Springfield XDs 40.

Her dad had always been a gun enthusiast, and passed his knowledge down to them, despite having reluctantly waited until Emily was eighteen, before he really started buying guns. He had taught them all proper handling and safety, as well as taken them to the range to practice, and gotten them their FOID cards. For his last birthday, Emily had gotten a Groupon discount that allowed all of them to go get Carry Conceal lessons, and the licenses for most states. However, only Elly and her dad went shooting on a regular basis. It was amusing to see the reactions of her coworkers, when they find out about her owning and shooting guns. It wasn't something their family broadcasted though, like their prepping and doomsday plans. Each of them had their bug-out bags for their cars, as well as another one in the foyer closet. They had two closets stockpiled with food, including home-canned and dehydrated foods, as well as another closet stockpiled with water.

With how crazy the world was becoming, her parents wanted them to be prepared and know basic survival skills. That was why for her last Christmas, her dad had presented her Springfield. She had been eying it for several years, saving up little by little for it, and renting it whenever she could, because it felt so comfortable in her hands. She had already started her own stockpile of .40 ammo when she had opened the case, and her mom had to pry it out of her hands long enough to tackle her laughing dad to the ground. The money she had saved up for the actual gun, instead went into buying extra magazines for it. Her mom had gotten her a holster for it, designed for Conceal and Carry, but she hadn't thought about actually doing so. Considering the past couple of events, she considered it now. Locking the case, slipping the two magazines into her back pocket, she limped out of her room and into her parents' closet. Pulling down the heavy toolbox, she managed to juggle both to the dining room. Her mom looked up, spotting her load, and opened the sliding door for her, enabling her to go sit on the deck.

"Alright sweetie?"

"Yeah, I just, I haven't thoroughly cleaned it in a while,"

"Okay, do you want me to bring out some tea?"

"I can do it, mom,"

"I'll take that as a 'Yes, Mom, I love you, Mom, thank you Mom,'" Elly chuckled softly.

"Yes, Mom, I love you Mom, thank you Mom," she repeated obediently, gaining a kiss on her cheek. Setting up the supplies, she absently cleaned and oiled her XDs, even popping out the bullets from the magazines and taking them apart for a thorough cleaning as well. Nicely cleaned, but still feeling jittery, Elly found herself taking it apart and putting it together again, over and over. She only stopped when her mom covered her hands and squeezed gently.

"Sweetie, if you are this stressed, then come inside and sharpen my knives. You're going to freak out the neighbors," Sure enough, she glanced over and saw one of the neighbor's kids peering over the fence. The way she had positioned the toolkit and the case prevented anyone from seeing what her hands were doing, but the constant clicking of metal on metal had obviously caught the seven year old's nosy attention. Putting everything back in its place, she washed her hands before sitting at the kitchen table and doing as her mom asked. The shlink, shlink, sound of the sharpener on the blades echoed in the quiet kitchen as her mom did dishes. The splint on her wrist made it a bit more difficult, but the monotonous motions also helped her calm down, slowly but surely.

"Hey darlin', how're ya feelin'?" she smiled when her dad pressed a kiss to her head, his eyes lighting up when he saw the knives she had laid out. "That's beautiful darlin', good job,"

"Thanks dad," Twisting to look at him, she was about to ask about his day at work when the pain came back. A deep stabbing pain in the center of her chest, making her choke as she bent double, almost falling off the chair. Her dad's hands grabbed her shoulders, agitating her bruises, but keeping her from face-planting into the floor.

"Honey! Honey are you alright?" She wheezed out a breath, coughing as she managed to wave off her hovering mom.

"I think, I need to lay down,"

"Darlin', do ya need to go back to the hospital?"

"No, I'm fine, must have, twisted wrong or something," she smiled shakily at them before limping to her room. Once inside, with the door locked, she yanked her shirt down, her chest growing hot. Looking down, ignoring the mottled bruises on her shoulder and chest, she frowned at a strange blue-white color that ran jaggedly down her breastbone, into her cleavage, shaped similarly to a spike of lightning. "I must, have gotten electrocuted or something, in the crash," she mumbled, her heart aching. Carefully, she undressed and redressed into a large shirt and shorts, climbing into bed and fingering her necklace. Her heart ached every couple of minutes, and a particularly sharp stabbing sensation made her glance at the strange mark every now and then, before she finally turned the lights off and rolled over. She was asleep within minutes, and thus didn't see the soft glow emanating from her chest before it faded lightly.

* * *

 _She was running, glancing behind her occasionally, hearing the thundering of her pursuers. Her wing sparked, pain racing through her neural network, as the deep puncture on her thigh bled rich green Energon. Emerging from the necropolis of decaying buildings, she hissed a command as she dove past her hidden marks. Screams of agony echoed behind her as the unfortunate mechs encountered her traps. Sliding behind a wall, her audios twitched as she listened grimly. Not hearing any more pursuit, she stealthily moved around, optics flickering between the enhanced settings to find all three entrapped. One had already offlined, his Spark pierced with an unforgiving metal spike, leaving his graying husk hanging limply. The other two were close to it, having managed to dodge the instant-offlining blow, only to be dealt slower but no less fatal injuries. Her clawed pedes were silent as she maneuvered around them, a sneer hidden behind her mask, before she purposefully cracked a piece of rusted beam. The two looked up, optics wide as she drew her blade._

 _" **Mercy, we beg for mercy,** " _

_" **You will find no mercy here, only death,** " her blade sunk easily through the first mech's chassis, his Spark guttering out immediately, as she withdrew her blade, turning to the last. _

_" **!Frag you Lore-Keeper! !May your Spark burn in the Pits!** " he spat, blue Energon bubbling from his facial plates. Without a single moment of hesitation, her blade slid easily through his Spark as well, the light in his optics dimming as his frame grayed, going limp._

 _" **I am already cursed, interloper, there is nothing else for me to fear, except my failure in the Holy One's tasks he set to me,** " she murmured to the corpse. Turning, she caught a reflective glimpse of her smoldering golden optics, pain and grief making them dim, her Spark heavy with the burdens she carried._

* * *

Elly woke with a start, grabbing her chest as she coughed, trying to get the heavy choking scent of burning and decayed metal out of her lungs. Her tongue was dry with a metallic taste forcing her upright to stumble into the kitchen for some water. A look at the clock showed it was nearly three am, far too early even for her dad to be awake, making her quietly sit for a long moment. Rubbing her chest, the strange jagged lightning mark on her skin felt raised, as well as warm to the touch. This wasn't the first time she woke from having transformer dreams, but this dream seemed more, realistic than it should have. She could remember the heavy scent of metal in the air, felt the strain and pain of her injuries, and the heaviness on her chest, like she was carrying the burden of the world on her shoulders.

"Lore-Keeper, eh?" she murmured. They weren't speaking English, obviously, but the name, or rather title, stuck out in her mind sharply, translated into its English equivalent. From her comprehension, it more accurately would translate into secret keeper, from the feelings coursing through the Cybertronian she had been seeing through. "Perhaps, an archivist? Like Orion, or Alpha Trion?" Her head cocked to the side, contemplating the strange dream, letting the information circle around as she fitted the pieces together. "Except they didn't kill to keep the secrets hidden,"

"Working on another of your stories?" she nearly leaped out of the chair, wide eyes staring at her amused mom.

"Of all that is holy, mom! What are you doing awake?"

"Mommy magic, I heard you wake up," She couldn't help it, Elly laughed at the phrase they had heard growing up. Her mom had a strange sixth sense, always knowing when they were up to something or if something was wrong with them. Most of the time before they even realized it themselves. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I just, I'm not,"

"It's been stressful, I know, these last couple of days. Which is why, you need to rest. I wish they had given you more time off. I don't think you're ready for work yet,"

"I'll be fine, mom, I just need to remember to pack my painkillers, and not hit anyone with that stupid crutch."

"Which you WILL be using." Elly slumped, pouting. She had been planning on 'forgetting' the damn nuisance in her car or at home. "Even if I have to come visit you at work, just to make sure you're using it, don't think I won't,"

"I know mom, and thanks. I love you too,"

"Hmm, I love you too, now go get some more sleep, it's too early for even the birds," Limping back into her room and plopping down onto her bed, Elly groaned and shut the light off, still thinking about her dream. Rolling over, she fell back asleep, dreaming about towering metal cities, complimented by beautiful crystals, and every sort of Cybertronian walking around. She never noticed the worried look her mom sent her.

* * *

Her last day of medical leave dragged on for Elly. She wasn't used to having so many days off from work, and the restlessness she had been feeling of late, certainly wasn't helping. She stayed cooped up in her room, working on the various projects that she had started and needed to finish. The mixed media art let a couple of hours pass her by, before she found herself wandering the house, occasionally peeking out the windows. She thankfully didn't receive any creepy texts, but the stabbing pains in her chest became a constant ache, with the occasional flare when she felt her anxiety rise. It was a relief when she set her alarms and went to bed early, hoping work would make everything go back to normal.

Her normal routine in the morning went with only a couple of hitches, she hadn't taken into account that she'd be moving slower due to her splints, and ended up running out the door later than she wanted. The drive to work thankfully was pretty normal as well, no mysterious SUVs or cars that she noticed. She made certain to avoid going her normal way, however, wanting to avoid the scene of her crash. A spot in the far left parking lot, to prevent anyone from getting near her new car, had her hurriedly limping with the crutch to get inside and clock in on time. She shrugged off the teasing remarks, bantering back as coworkers ribbed her, and reassuring them that she was fine as she made her way back up front, anxiety twinging in her chest.

Working customer service at a Supercenter was normally an up and down roller-coaster. Most days were pretty fine with an occasional hiccup with customers, and others were pretty much hell. She thanked her lucky stars that it was a low day, meaning no irritated customers and everything went nice and smoothly. Her only hiccups were the double-takes when the customers noticed the healing cuts and bruises on her face, since she didn't wear makeup and didn't even think about using her sisters' foundation to hide them. She was of the opinion that scars told your story, and your will to survive, that they were a symbol of honor, like in the Yautja society. It was still irritating to repeat the same story, over and over again, however.

The entire day was spent indoors, so Elly didn't notice any strange vehicles or people, (at least more than usual), a relief to her stressed nerves. The drive home, however, she noticed the SUV was back, as well as another silver sports car. The car was evasive, though, she couldn't get a clear look at it, but she was at least certain it wasn't the Corvette. Going straight home was pretty normal for her, she didn't go out often, both because she preferred staying home versus partying, as well as the fact she was saving up to move out, despite her mom's reluctance to let her.

The rest of the week went similarly, to her dismay. Just when she thought that things would go back to normal, she spotted an out-of-place vehicle that seemed to follow her. The agents visited once more, reminding her to call them if she noticed anything strange, but she had 'accidentally' shredded the business card and burned it with her incense. Friday night as she was getting ready to leave work, one of her friends reminded her of the birthday party being held at the bar the next night. With everything that had happened, she had honestly forgotten, and ended up scrambling to get a birthday present. Luckily, Jon loved Fireball, so it was simple to wrap up a bottle and stick a small card on it. She worked the morning shift, enabling her to have a couple of hours after work to shower and dress.

Her comfortable but nice stretch jeans hugged her hips but flared about mid-thigh, giving her plenty of space for movement. A nice long sleeved black shirt with a low neckline framed her secret necklace, a black loose vest over that hid her holster tucked in the small of her back. Her strapped purse had a belt that looped around her waist, with the bottom looped around her left thigh, keeping the pouch-like purse secure, and leaving her hands and arms free. Inside it she had her pocketknife, Swiss army knife, and pepper spray, well as her extra two magazines and wallet. Tucked into her boots were another set of pocketknives, the tip of the handles just barely peeking out. Her messy dark mocha curls hung loose for a change, falling around her shoulders and past, her bangs covering her left eye. Silver dangle earrings matched her normal silver rings, and a couple of bangles on her left wrist completed her dressy casual attire.

The drive to the bar, which was only a couple minutes from work, was routine. Due to the hour, there was little traffic and she easily found a space, parking under a streetlight in view of the doors. The bar was at the end of a small strip mall that was slowly being surrounded by developing townhouses. About a ten minute walk down the long unlit highway, however, was a small airport used by a nearby college for piloting lessons. Between the airport and the developing buildings, it was just rolling plains with strips of trees. Climbing out of her car, looking around, Elly had a feeling that her knowledge of the area was going to be needed. Her locked Springfield was slipped under a bunch of CDs in her console, since she couldn't bring it in. Pulling her crutch out, and holding the present with her other hand, she made her way into the bar. Had she waited a few minutes later, she would have seen the silver sports car pull into the parking lot, the streetlights glinting off the nearly perfect exterior, except for black and gray streaks on its right side.

* * *

 ** _=Energonic signature, detected. Sideways en-route, located human femme. Human femme possesses the Key,=_**

 ** _=Barricade responding, orders are to retrieve human femme and Key, do not engage in primary frame around humans.=_**

 ** _=Understood, Sideways out,=_**

* * *

 ** _=Decepticon bio-sigs detected, they are on the move. Sending intercept route and coordinates,=_**

 ** _=Understood Sideswipe, do not engage unless necessary, we do not want to risk human detection and safety,=_**

 ** _=Of course Prime,=_**

 ** _=Ironhide respondin' to int'rcept course, coord'nates confirmin', human femme's location ground zero,=_**

 ** _=I am en-route to your location,=_**

 ** _=?Are you certain Prime? The Key reacts negatively in your vicinity,=_**

 ** _=I will not allow that human femmeling to be injured again,=_**

 ** _=!That was not your fault Prime, it was that Con slagger, Sideways!=_**

 ** _=Nevertheless, I am responsible for most of her current injuries and damaged state, I will not allow Sideways to harm her further,=_**

 ** _=Forgive the interruption, Prime, however I have received word from the human soldiers. They will provide backup and cover at ground zero, as well as containment at the recreation center.=_**

 ** _=Understood, Jolt, thank you for the update. ?Was there anything further?=_**

 ** _=They are not pleased with our independent coordination, I believe Major Lennox and Colonel Spike desire a rather heated conversation with you once the mission is completed.=_**

 ** _=I understand. Our priority however was to retrieve the Key, even if that meant leaving the human soldiers behind. We cannot allow the Key to fall into Decepticon servos, nor risk Megatron deciphering its codes and secrets.=_**

 ** _=Understood,=_**

* * *

Limping into the bar, Elly snuck up behind the birthday boy, who nearly shrieked like a girl when she poked him in the back. "Elly! 'Ello lovely," he grabbed onto her, hugging her tightly and swinging her around drunkenly, though thankfully he didn't drop her. Laughing, she nodded to the other supervisors, since they had grabbed the bottle and her crutch before she dropped them.

"British accent tonight, love? How much have ya had then?" she asked, adopting the accent as well, making him laugh.

"I've been here, since, four," he really had to struggle to remember, she noted, with a smile. "I'm so glad you came, we never ghetto hang,"

"Do you mean 'get to'?"

"Yeah! Like I said, ghetto," she stifled her chuckle as she led him back to the table. "Have you gotten anything yet?" he demanded, waving to their friend. The female bartender grinned and waved back, blowing a kiss to Elly when she spotted her.

"Not yet Jo, I just got here."

"Right, I love you Els,"

"Love you too Jo," she sat him down, taking a sniff of his drink before cringing her nose. She wasn't a big drinker, in fact most of the time the others ordered for her, but Jo liked his hard liquor.

"You're dressed so pretty, except fer this, wazzat?" she caught his wrist when he went to poke her holster, her smile turning wicked.

"Nothing, it's nothing, how's ya birthday been? I got'cha a prezzie," and he immediately latched onto the bottle, giggling and hugging it when he opened it. She caught Yvonne's eye, who raised a brow and nodded at her holster, looking worried. Since they had gone shooting together before, the older woman knew she had her Carry Conceal. Giving her a reassuring smile, she greeted the others. One drink and two conversations later, Elly's cell buzzed a reminder. Reaching into her purse, she frowned as she felt around. Not feeling the familiar bottle for her medication, she scratched her cheek as she thought. ' _Oh, right, it's still in the car_ ,' she remembered belatedly, having set it in the passenger seat with the present. Looking around, she waved to Yvonne, who wandered over, swishing her hips seductively and making several guys watch her approvingly.

"Elly, wassup?" the beautiful Latina accepted a drink with a coy smile and flutter of her eyelashes, before turning her chocolate eyes to the younger woman.

"I forgot my meds in the car, I'll be right back," her friend nodded, waving off questions as she left. Making her way through the parking lot, she fumbled the key before managing to open the door, glaring at the crutch in disgust. Spotting the small bottle, she scooped it up, popping one of the pills before tucking it in the glove compartment. She wasn't planning on staying much longer, and she had her one drink quota already. Closing and locking the door, she turned and started to head back. Started, being the key word. Two guys noticed her as she walked past their car, calling out and whistling to her, before following when she didn't react.

"Hey baby, wassup?"

"How you doin' tonight, babe?"

"Hey, where ya goin'? Don't be rude now,"

"I cannot tell ya'll how much I ain't yo 'baby' or 'babe' gents, but I can tell ya that I'm a crazy bitch that ya really dun wanna mess with," she warned, rolling her eyes as they moved past her, walking backwards.

"Ooo, dude, I think this chick is totally blue-ballin' us man,"

"Damn, man, ain't never been turned down by a broad that fast," Before she could respond to their whining, she spotted the unknown silver car that had been following her. She also noticed, specifically, the damage and paint transfer on the right hand side. As the two drunks continued backing up as she stepped forward, she noted one more distinct feature of the car: a Decepticon insignia. Barely paying any attention to the drunks now, she felt her anger build up.

' _I have a couple of options,_ ' she thought calmly, ' _Option one: I can act like a complete lunatic and start ranting at an empty vehicle, which might scare off these two morons. Option two: I can go into the bar, get these two arrested, and pretend this car doesn't exist. Option three: do the same as two, only call the cops and describe the car. Most likely I'll do number two or three. However, option four is very appealing right now, and I really don't give a fuck._ ' Her resolve hardened, her lips pressed tightly into a frown as she pushed past the drunks, marching straight to the vehicle.

"You fucking asshole! You fucking totaled my damn car!" Raising her crutch, with a niggling sensation of warning at the back of her head; she slammed it as hard as she could into the windshield, cracking it into hundreds of little spider web cracks.

* * *

Notes:

' _Hello_ ' = thoughts

= ** _Hello_** = = com-links

" **Bold** " = spoken Common

* * *

Chapter two is complete. Wow, she has a temper after a bit of drinking, eh? Read and enjoy!


	3. Plausible Deniability

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 1/27/17

Published: 7/16/17

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

Chapter Warnings: Cursing.

Chapter Three: Plausible deniability...

* * *

Previously:

' _I have a couple of options,_ ' she thought calmly, ' _Option one: I can act like a complete lunatic and start ranting at an empty vehicle, which might scare off these two morons. Option two: I can go into the bar, get these two arrested, and pretend this car doesn't exist. Option three: do the same as two, only call the cops and describe the car. Most likely I'll do number two or three. However, option four is very appealing right now, and I really don't give a fuck._ ' Her resolve hardened, her lips pressed tightly into a frown as she pushed past the drunks, marching straight to the vehicle.

"You fucking asshole! You fucking totaled my damn car!" Raising her crutch, with a niggling sensation of warning at the back of her head; she slammed it as hard as she could into the windshield, cracking it into hundreds of little spider web cracks.

* * *

The entire parking lot was dead silent for a long moment, before the drunk idiots cussed and staggered away. "That bitch just busted up that fucking car, bro!"

"Fuck we gotta get outta here before the coppers come, man!" She listened to their running footsteps, before she looked back at the car. Holding the crutch in her hand, she felt her heart pound in a rush of adrenaline.

' _Fuck, now there's two options,_ ' she thought, slowly backing away. ' _Option one, that is a normal car that I'll be paying to repair, or option two,_ ' she swallowed heavily as the engine roared to life, the lights flashing on as it moved aggressively forward. "Option two, I just fucked up a Decepticon's alt," she muttered aloud, stumbling back as it's, no _his_ engine revved louder. "Fuck!" She threw her crutch, hearing it crack against his windshield again, before turning and running between cars, ignoring the pain in her ankle as she forced herself to run on her busted foot. Hearing the angry revving, she weaved back and forth, thankful that for whatever reason, he hadn't transformed and snatched her up. Ignoring the highway, she headed for the plains, grateful that the curbs were too high for his low-rise alt to navigate easily. She also hoped that he was squeamish about organic dirt and material getting into his systems, as she weaved her way through the inclines of the plain.

' _Those books are fucking liars,_ ' the random thought crossed her mind as she panted, hearing the car behind her but slightly distanced away. The authors who claimed adrenaline rushes made pain vanish completely by magic, obviously had never been in this stressful situation. ' _What was that comedian's name? Oh, yeah, Bill Engvall, or something, and his Vicodin skit,_ ' She felt the pain in her ankle, wrist, and torso as she hit the ground, rolling as she tripped before bouncing back onto her feet. She felt the pain, but she didn't care, too worried about the Decepticon chasing her down. She specifically did NOT glance behind her, using her ears to pinpoint his direction. She had seen too many horror movies to do that stupid trick and cliché. Spotting the tall chain-link fence, she suddenly realized he was playing with her.

Slamming into the fence, she heard the revving behind, almost sounding smug. ' _I don't appreciate playing cat and mouse with you, fragger,_ ' she thought angrily, turning to face him. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a dip in the ground. Feinting left, she dove to her right when he launched forward, his bumper slamming into the fence and uprooting it. Withholding the chuckle of glee, she hit the ground, rolling and scrambling under the now loose fence, crab-walking part of the way, until she was free. Hearing the furious growl, she didn't savor her brief victory, instead, she ran along the asphalt, eyes searching desperately. She heard the screech of shredding metal before the unmistakable sound of a transformation. It wasn't like in the movies or the TV shows, she noted absently, it was far more musically tuned than mere screeching of metal twisting. After that unearthly sound, came the heavy thuds of footsteps. Again, she kept her eyes forward, not daring to look despite the urge to. ' _Plausible deniability, I didn't see shit!_ ' she thought, slightly hysterical. Relief filled her chest, her eyes spotting what she needed.

"COME HERE YOU LITTLE INSECT!" She let out a small shriek, managing to dodge as claws slammed into the pavement beside her, the shock wave sent her rolling off the asphalt and into the ditch. Landing on her stomach with a wheeze, her arms automatically cradled her head, preventing her face from slamming into the ground and rocks. Hearing a dark chuckle above her, she uncovered her head, staring at the ground, before raising her eyes enough to spot the small maintenance gate. "Thought you could escape me, did you?" She felt the cold shadow loom above her, before it became visible in the lights.

' _Definitely Decepticon_ ,' she noted the silhouette of a spiky helm and shoulder guards. As she watched the shadow loom closer, hearing him reach out to grab her, a loud horn and roaring engine interrupted. Peeking up, she only caught the movement as he yanked his servo back, turning to face the threat. Taking her chance, she shoved herself up and lunged at the gate, shoving it open and somehow managing to wedge herself through the gap, ducking under the chain padlock. Hearing the furious roar, she felt the fence shudder against her before the sound of another transformation, and then the loud crash of a body-tackle. Ignoring the fight behind her, hearing a familiar rumbling voice cursing the Decepticon, she swallowed the amazed chuckle. ' _No, fragging way, was that, Ironhide? Well he can take care of himself,_ ' It was ironic, she noted, hearing more engines approaching, along with human voices shouting out orders, that she finally felt the vestiges of panic creeping up, now that she had rescuers.

"MISS! STOP!"

' _Hell no!_ ' She caught glimpses out of the corner of her eyes, more flashy vehicles, as well as simple ones, with soldiers pouring out. Her chest burned, the panic becoming more pronounced, as the soldiers ran to intercept her.

"MISS!"

"STOP! STOP HER!"

' _Just keep running, keep your head down, don't look at any of them!_ ' she chanted, finally spotting the sewer gate. Ducking around an incline, so they lost visual of her, she backtracked and hit the sewer gate. Pulling out her Swiss army knife, she sliced the thin wires that had been wrapped around a ripped section of the fencing. Wiggling through, cursing her boobs for getting caught, she closed it quickly and moved deeper inside the shaft. Hoping that they didn't notice the gap, she ducked around the first corner and waited, covering her mouth to cover the sound of her panting. She was grateful to her cousin for taking her exploring down here. Despite it technically being trespassing, he had shown her the passageways. It had been part game, part training, to get her thinking of escape routes. Of course her mom had scolded both of them when they got home, smelling like sewage after having miss-stepped and fallen into one of the drainage ditches.

"I lost her!"

"Does anyone have eyes on the girl?"

"How could she just vanish into thin air?"

"Hey! There's a sewer over here!" Tensing, slowing her breathing, she listened.

"That gate's locked up tight, no way she got inside,"

"Did you not see her out-run that Decepticon, or wiggle through the main gate? We had to cut the chain to follow her,"

"Yeah, but she ain't wearing a hundred pounds of gear, dumbass," A light smack. She breathed a sigh of relief, hearing them slowly moving away.

"Guys! This fence is ripped, she might have been able to squeeze through," Hearing that, she groaned and carefully began sliding along the wall, trying to move silently. "C'mon, give me a hand with this!" Reaching up, she touched a worn mark at the intersection, feeling for the scratch, there! She turned left, moving a bit faster as she heard their voices become fainter. Following the hidden marks, her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness until she came to a small alcove. Ducking inside, she felt along the bottom, finding the other mark on the right side, and reaching up. When her cousin had taken her, he had to boost her up, since she was so short, now, her fingertips managed to find the out-of-sight ledge. Feeling it out for a moment, ignoring the possibility of insects and spiders, she backed up before bouncing forward, her good foot kicking off the wall. Her hands grabbed the edge, fingers slipping before catching on the narrow groove her cousin had carved. Her wrist splint made it far too difficult to pull herself up, making her slip twice before she managed. Twisting, she grunted as she slid in on her side, her feet wiggling inside first and deterring anything. She bit her lip as cobwebs slid across her face, making her shiver in disgust, before she tucked herself inside.

' _Think, Elly, think,_ ' she rested her forehead against her hands, calming down slowly. Shifting her hips, she grunted when her cell stabbed her, making her blink. Pulling it out, she unlocked the screen before hesitating. ' _I have to do this, but,_ ' Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she pressed her lips to the picture of her parents. ' _Do it, Elly, you don't want them to get dragged into this,_ ' Firming her resolve, she clicked on her shared text chat to her parents. ' _SHTF. Underground. Love you._ ' Her thumb hovered over the send button for another second before she clicked on it. Watching the text be sent, she nodded when it went through before pulling out the SD disk and shutting her cell off. She then proceeded to pull the cover off and take the battery out. With it in pieces, she set it down in the back of the ledge, unclasping her necklace with the hidden USB drive, snugly fitting the micro-disk inside it, before clasping it around her neck again. Listening, she nearly shrieked in surprise when she heard voices.

"Damn it! This is like a maze in here,"

"Quiet, we don't want to spook her if she's nearby. She's already been through the ringer today,"

"Why did she run from us, though? I mean I understand her running from the Decepti-creep, but us?"

"Most likely her focus had narrowed on escape, she pretty much blinded herself to everything else, at least that's my bet,"

"Oi, didn't tech-bot say her cell signal was near here? I mean its dead silent, think his scanners are malfunctioning?"

"He did say the signal was weak, due to the interference, we are underground after all." A chirp of a radio silenced them.

"Davis here,"

[ _This is Jolt, her cellular device just shut down, I am no longer receiving her signal. Davis and Kennedy, you two are closest to its previous location, be on the lookout,_ ]

"Got'cha tech-bot, ten-four," Heavy footsteps moved along, passing the alcove, moving further into the tunnels. Counting slowly to sixty, Elly carefully wiggled around, sliding out from the ledge, gingerly dropping down with only a soft scuff. Pausing, listening intently, she didn't hear them come closer, if anything, it sounded like they had rounded a corner. Easing out of the alcove, she mentally recalled the map her cousin had nearly beaten into her head. Following them for two more turns, keeping her distance, she made a right when they took a left, following the marks at the intersections. She needed to go straight two more intersections, then take a left-right zigzag, before one final right. If she remembered it correctly, it would take her to another sewer gate on the other side of the new townhouses, which were a two minute walk to the bar. From there, she would either take her car if possible, or grab her bug-out bag from it, and go on foot. Either way, the odds were against her actually escaping, she was surprised she hadn't been caught yet in fact. If the Decepticon hadn't been playing with her, she would have been dead by now.

Mentally following her map, she didn't hear the soft footsteps until a light flashed over her, the soldier shouting in surprise and alarm, and making her take off with a curse. Running down the tunnel, she heard him calling out to her as well as radioing to others, making her take a right, instead of the first left, ducking into a side passage with another alcove. This one did not have a ledge, however, but it did have a small depression above the opening. Grabbing onto the hand and foot holes, hearing the soldier just around the corner, she jerked herself up and press up against the hole, looking down when the soldier appeared just underneath her. Holding her breath, and fighting against her trembling muscles as she pressed into the corner, she smiled when he left, going further down the tunnel. ' _Humans rarely look up,_ ' she was grateful to that piece of advice, and general bad habit. Hopping down, she retraced her steps, sidestepping into another passageway and kneeling in a corner as several other soldiers ran past. She could hear their shouts of confusion, as well as some colorful swear words, as she re-emerged down the original tunnel, taking the left and following that tunnel down.

More alert, and scolding herself mentally for that lapse, a rookie mistake, she listened more intently for soldiers, grateful that most of them weren't very quiet with their equipment. She had to duck aside several times before she came to a problem. The gate she was looking for was visible, however there was a soldier on the other side, and new chain-link. It had obviously been put up during the townhouse construction, making her curse softly. She hadn't wanted to attack any of the soldiers, escape was preferred. She didn't know if she could trust them, not after the creepy agents, the texts, and the knowledge swimming around in her head that humans could and would, betray the Autobots if given the chance. Not all humans would be xeno-friendly after all. Avoiding contact with the soldiers seemed the best option, and unfortunately, that was the only gate nearby with decent cover.

"Report," a mechanized voice suddenly sounded from the gate area, her chest warming uncomfortably, as her heart started to race. The soldier popped off a quick salute, looking up as heavy footsteps approached.

"Hey Sides, it's all quiet here, what about the decepti-creep?"

"Understood, and that slagger got away, turned aft and drove off after 'Hide knocked his pedes out from under him,"

"Reports indicated the girl was further inside, why post me here?"

"Prowl pulled up the blueprints of this drainage system, this is the closest exit nearest her vehicle. A logical choice if she was attempting escape."

"This gate looks new though, it wasn't tampered with like the other one. It would take her a couple of minutes to break through,"

"Easy there rookie, we need this spot covered, just in case the Cons are still in the area. Besides, you worried that a young femme will kick your aft-plates?" the front-liner teased.

"Oh, frag off," Peeking around the corner, she felt the footsteps move away, before he transformed and drove off.

' _Think_ ,' looking around, she wrinkled her nose as a half-baked idea came to mind. ' _Let's hope I get a hold of him before he contacts his buddies, or better yet, I steal his radio,_ ' Leaning down, she scooped up some of the putrid water on the ground, splashing it on her jeans over her thigh until a dark spot formed. Once it was large enough, she put her palm against her thigh, making sure that the spot was visible before taking a slow breath. ' _I never wanted to be an actress, but let's see how bad my skills are,_ ' Putting her other hand against the wall for balance, she heavily limped towards the gate, exaggerating a leg injury. "Help, please help," she called softly, furrowing her brows and wincing. The solder whipped around, startled, before rushing to the fence. "Please, I'm bleeding, I, I'm hurt, please, help me," she stammered, trying to weaken her voice.

"Fuck, hold on Miss, I'll call for an ambulance,"

"Please, I, I think, I'm, bleeding out," Falling against the wall, she halfway slid down, hoping it was too dark for him to notice the lack of blood. Nodding her head, as though falling asleep, she whimpered softly.

"Shit, shit, shit, hold on, I'm coming to get you," she watched through her bangs as he fumbled with the fence, hacking it open before struggling with the actual gate. "Miss, Miss! I need you to stay awake, keep talking to me!"

"C-cold, I'm s-so c-cold," She felt bad, the guilt creeping up as he became more frenzied, finally snapping the padlock off with the butt of his M16 Assault rifle. Shoving the gate open, he skidded on his knees beside her, reaching for her thigh. "Sorry about this," she swung her arm around his neck, hopping onto his back and pressing against his windpipe. As he grabbed her arm, she continued applying pressure on the strangle-hold. It took almost a minute before his struggles slowed and he slumped to the ground. Releasing him, she felt his pulse, noting it was strong and steady, before stealing his radio and propping him up against the wall. Hopefully he would wake up in a couple minutes, long after she was gone. "Sorry again," Heading out, she took a quick glance around before weaving in and out of cover, managing to scurry to the back of the bar and slip into one of the back doors.

Stepping around the kitchen with ease, thankful that she had occasionally been back here, she waved to a couple of the workers before emerging into the crowd. The atmosphere was still jovial, the patrons and workers oblivious to what was happening outside. Before she could sneak away, Yvonne spotted her, rushing over and firing questions left and right.

"Chica, where the hell have you been? You said ya were goin' to ya car, not, oh my god, what happened to ya? Do I need to call _la_ _policia_?"

"No, no, I'm fine, just, a lil banged up," waving off her concern, Elly ducked into the bathroom, spotting her reflection. ' _No wonder she was worried, I look worse than what a drenched cat would drag in,_ ' she pulled at the tangled curls around her head, tying it back into a messy bun, washing her face of the dirt streaked over it, as well as most of the grime from her hands. As she was finishing up, she heard screams from inside the bar. A quick glance out, showed several soldiers entering.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a situation outside. For your own protection, please remain inside. We have dangerous terrorist activity present just up the road and have set up a perimeter to prevent injury to you. Please, remain calm, and follow our directions." One spoke up, voice firm and loud, as the DJ shut down the music. As people huddled together, murmuring, the soldiers started moving throughout the building, obviously looking for something, or _someone._ Elly ducked back inside the bathroom, eyes wandering over the small room.

"There is always another way out, just gotta look for it," she muttered, judging the stalls and dismissing them, before spotting a small window. Judging it, she winced and rubbed her chest. "Today is smooshed booby day, get over it," Moving one of the trashcans over, she paused before locking the door, then returned to balancing precariously on top, prying the window open with several low growls and grunts, as well as a couple of curse words. Nearly busting her elbow, she pulled herself up and looked around cautiously. The window faced almost opposite of her car, but with the other vehicles in the parking lot, she figured she could maneuver easily. There were only a couple of soldiers around, with two flashy cars blocking the entrances and exits of the parking lot. ' _On foot it is_ ,' she realized grimly, noting that the Autobots most likely wouldn't transform so close to the bar, in case of witnesses. ' _That's probably what the Decepticon was doing too, herding me away, well at least I didn't endanger the people inside_ ,'

Waiting for a soldier to move away, ( _he also did not look up, thankfully_ ), she heaved herself up, shoving her head, arms, and shoulders through the window. Wiggling, she grunted, sucking in and uncomfortably manipulating her boobs until they were free as well. Halfway out the window, she felt her holster get caught, making her grunt before unclasping it, putting it between her teeth as she wiggled her hips through. Now sitting in the window, her legs still inside, she re-attached her holster to the small of her back, reaching up to grab one of the drainpipes for balance as she struggled to pull her booted leg through. Glaring at the current problem, she hastily unfastened it before dropping it unceremoniously to the ground, pulling her leg free. At this point, she was hanging by one knee from the window, her hands holding the weakening drain pipe above her. Pressing her knee into the wall, she eased her grip to the window, managing to contort her other leg free, before dropping down. The landing jarred her foot and ankle, making her collapse and grab it instinctively, before putting the boot back on, re-clipping the knife inside it from it having jarred loose. Hiding behind some bushes, she held her breath as another soldier walked past, looking out at the parking lot, but not behind him.

' _This is going, far too well_ ,' her eyes narrowed suspiciously, glancing around. The coast clear, she ducked between two cars, biting her tongue as her ankle throbbed worse and worse. ' _Perfect time for the drugs to wear off, or perhaps the adrenaline burned through it,_ ' Easing around the cars, heart pounding harder and harder, she grit her teeth as paranoia reared up. ' _What the hell, can't they sense me on their sensors?_ ' A particular spike of pain in her chest made her pause, grabbing her sternum. Glancing down, wondering how badly she had agitated her bruises, she felt her mind go blank.

Her chest was _glowing,_ the jagged lightning mark spread down her sternum was _glowing_ and pulsing. It flared again, sending another flare of pain, and gaining a low hiss through her clenched teeth. ' _Maybe, I should turn myself in? This isn't right,_ ' Just as the thought crossed her mind, she _felt_ something coil around her. It was almost like someone had hugged her from behind, leaning their weight on her shoulders and back before pressing against the back of her head. There was no one there however; the heaviness seemed to press more and more onto her until she moved. Continuing almost in a daze, she moved from car to car until she reached her own, the key effortlessly sliding in and slowly rotated to unlock with a near silent click. Ducking behind the seat, she grabbed her backpack, still feeling befuddled, holstering her Springfield, before closing the door. Sliding on the backpack and tightening the straps, she felt the pressure urge her towards the road. Crossing the road and entering a strip of trees, she didn't notice the soldiers emerge from the bar. Her heart pounded in her ears, almost blocking out the muffled noises.

' _Am I going into shock, now?_ ' Her legs pumped harder once she realized the noises were shouts, the soldiers having spotted her, and taken chase. Running once more through the plains, parallel to the airport instead of towards it, Elly felt confused. She had no plan this time, the sewers were clearly compromised; she was headed in an unknown direction with no control over her body anymore, with multiple pursuers. As she thought that, one of the soldiers caught up to her, reaching out to grab her. It seemed for a long moment, that time slowed down, images flashing across her eyes, of him catching her arm and her suddenly seeing several defensive moves to immobilize him. A blink and his hand was around her elbow, dragging her back. Using her momentum, she could only watch blankly as her body contorted into the defensive moves that she had never before known or tried out.

Grabbing his forearm, she slid underneath his arm, popping up behind him and yanking his shoulder down, sending his side into her suddenly upraised knee. As he wheezed, startled at the sudden attack, she grabbed his other shoulder, swinging herself up until she was practically kneeling on his back, the heel of her hand striking a pressure point in his neck and sending him to his knees. As he started to fall, she launched herself over him, flipping in the air and landing on her feet, taking off again. ' _What the fuck! How the fuck did I do that?!_ ' She heard the shouting become louder and closer, two engines revving nearby as well. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Corvette, sliding dangerously on the grass, kicking up dirt as it raced to cut her off.

A haze crossed her eyes, suddenly _knowing without a doubt_ that the mech in front of her was a speed-class front-liner, designated Sideswipe. As he slid to a stop in front of her, engine humming, she once again saw images flash across her eyes. She let out a muffled grunt as she flung herself forward, her hands slapping on his hood as she threw herself over him, her hip sliding across the warm metal before she hit the ground running without skipping a beat. A highly amused trill came from the second engine, a very familiar sleek Camaro racing ahead of her and trying to herd her closer to the airport.

For several long moments, he drove parallel to her, a sequence of cajoling trills and chirps in a rapid burst rang teasingly in her ears. To her utter disbelief she understood the message, even as it registered as Scout dialect somehow. = ** _Be-calm_You-safe_We-help_We-worried-for-you_No-more-danger_** = Her steps faltered, gaining a reassuring click as he crept slightly closer. She felt her eyes burn strangely, as she glanced over, a startled whine escaping him just before _something_ left her mouth.

= ** _Danger_Me_Not-safe_Never-safe_!Stay-away!_!Highly-Dangerous!_** = The series of clicks and _tones_ that left her throat was inhuman, and burned her vocal chords as she barked out the strict orders. She felt the Scout jerk away from her, the Commands demanding his obedience for a split second. The sudden buzzing in her ears was quickly identified as com-links, confusing her further. As soon as she understood what it meant, she heard him transform. Lurching forward, she felt his servo narrowly miss her, hitting her backpack but not catching her.

= ** _!No!_!Stay!_!You-safe-now!_Stand-down_Prime-Directive_** = His Spark pulsed, his EM field brushing against her skin, pinging soothing emotions and honesty. Her chest _burned_ , batting away the flickering pings forcefully, before it intensified. Elly stumbled, falling to her knees, as it felt like someone had just stabbed her in her chest, a scream of agony piercing the quiet night and ringing through the air. She felt the ground shake as the Scout slammed to his knees, his servos hovering over her as he beeped in panic, EM field pulsing worry and demands. Her head felt like it was suddenly bombarded, the faint buzzing turning into full-blown ringing. For a long moment as she knelt there, grabbing her chest and nearly curled up, she thought she could identify at least four mechs by their com-links and dialects, the strange information whirling in her mind finally, FINALLY making sense, as her palms registered the Spark pulses under her skin.

' _Primus, there's a Spark inside me, what the fuck is going on?!_ '

"Bumblebee!" Slowly, as time seemed to stand still, she inhaled shakily. Her chocolate eyes looking up at the approaching mech, taller than everything around them, his blue optics weary as if he carried the burdens of the universe on his shoulders. She felt her chest, no, the _Spark_ , pulse against her palms again, information pinging her out of nowhere. Optimus Prime, Vessel of the Matrix of Leadership, the last Prime, Autobot Commander. ' _He's even more majestic than the cartoons and movies portray him as,_ ' she wondered absently as he bent down to one knee.

"Calm, little one," he cajoled. His mistake was flaring his EM field. The Spark pulsed angrily, tearing another scream from her, Elly finally realizing that she was the one screaming, blood dripping from her nose. Her scream was cut off, however, a low guttural series of tones and static-spat hisses escaping.

= ** _!_** _ **Stay-back-Prime!_!Do-not-interfere-with-my-mission!**_ = Her head jerked up, staring into his optics, watching them widen in shock and confusion. A soft crackling, almost like static, suddenly filled her ears, the Spark pulsing once more before her vision went sideways, everything blurring and swirling together. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, before a soft crackling made her ears pop, and she was suddenly _gone._

* * *

Notes:

= _Hello_ = = com-links

[ _Hello_ ] = radio

" **Bold** " = spoken Common

Class Dialects:

(Not necessarily full sentences or even words, but more quick succession of glyphs and emotions used in their EM fields)

= ** _Hello_?How-are-you?_** = Scout-rapid-burst. Punctuation marks are pings before and after the burst, denoting a question or highly important burst. Underscores are used to separate the rapid burst data.

= **!Identify!** = Warrior-burst. Spoken always as a barked order/demand. Gladiator-burst is similar except additional insulting and taunting, with vivid cursing.

* * *

Chapter three is complete. So what do you guys think? Read and enjoy!


	4. So it's YOUR fault!

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 2/27/17

Published: 7/27/17

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

Chapter Warnings: some cussing, mention of a parallel's death, and a hard choice. What would you have done?

Chapter Four: So it's YOUR fault!

* * *

Previously:

"Calm, little one," he cajoled. His mistake was flaring his EM field. The Spark pulsed angrily, tearing another scream from her, Elly finally realizing that she was the one screaming, blood dripping from her nose. Her scream was cut off, however, a low guttural series of tones and static-spat hisses escaping.

= _ **!** **Stay-back-Prime!_!Do-not-interfere-with-my-mission!**_ = Her head jerked up, staring into his optics, watching them widen in shock and confusion. A soft crackling, almost like static, suddenly filled her ears, the Spark pulsing once more before her vision went sideways, everything blurring and swirling together. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, before a soft crackling made her ears pop, and she was suddenly _gone._

* * *

Elly screamed, not in pain this time, but from suddenly free-falling. She hit the ground, hard, rolling to her side, everything throbbing in pain. Blinking her eyes clear of pained tears, she panted heavily. "No, way, was that, did I just, was that a space-bridge?" With a groan, she unbuckled her backpack, slowly rolling to a sitting position, shrugging it off.

~ **? _Technically? No, that was me warping you,_** ~ She shot to her feet, whirling around.

"What the fuck!"

~ ** _And here I thought you were an intelligent, mild-tempered femmeling,_** ~ Pausing in her frantic search, Elly felt the Spark pulse softly.

"Oh, _oh!_ Fuck,"

~ ** _Oh, indeed,_** ~

"This is, awkward, wait a minute, where am I?" Looking around, Elly could only stare in disbelief. A huge cavern, stalactites and stalagmites included. Clear water lapped against a smoothly paved path that reached the far side, bio-luminescent algae trailing up the walls, in the water, and across the roof enabled her to see. Staring around, everything seemed to glitter unearthly, the soft blue and green lights sparkling. She was standing on some sort of metallic dais, hundreds of small curved steps going down to rest on an outcropping. The dais she stood on was set in the center of the underground lake, the path was the only option of leaving, however she could see something strange about it. Moving down a couple of the steps, she could see the path was marked.

~ ** _Careful femmeling, I have set dangerous traps, ones strong enough to pierce the strongest Cybertronian armor,_** ~

"Who are you?" she stayed on the last step, noting the Cybertronian glyphs and seams on them.

~ ** _I have been given many designations over the vorns, you may refer to me simply as Lore,_** ~

"Lore-keeper," she murmured, remembering her dream. "That wasn't a dream was it? That was one of your memories!"

~ ** _Correct, I was testing you,_** ~

"Testing me? For what!" An almost annoyed sigh sounded in her ears.

~ ** _Turn around,_** ~ Doing so, she stared as several of the 'steps' rearranged, light streaming up to form images. Cursing her curiosity, she climbed back up, stepping to the main platform. It was similar to how Optimus had shown Sam and Mikaela the destruction of Cybertron, she realized, the holograms forming images that danced around her. ~ ** _As you have no doubt figured out, you are no longer in your home dimensional universe. ?Do you understand the concept of parallel and semi-paralleled universes?_** ~

"Sort of, I mean, it's easiest for me to think of it as a cracked mirror,"

~ ** _Explain,_** ~

"Well, you have the central universe, meaning the entire mirror, but then there's a crack, or point of impact, that sends hundreds of little or large cracks throughout it, like ripples on a lake. I believe that every shard in the mirror is a parallel to the main, with differences. Depending on the size of the shard, it could be a tiny difference, or a large difference, or even multiple differences. There is also the actual cracks, which could be the time-rifts or barriers that separate yet keep them all connected, or they could even be _other_ parallels tucked next to the others. Does that make sense?"

~ ** _An intriguing theory, one I can work with, so you can understand. Your home universe was one of these 'shards' as you put it. The difference is the lack of actual Cybertronian presence, but instead it was represented as entertainment. Your home briefly contacted this 'shard' merging for a few moments, at the point of contact, you were involved in a car crash. The parallel you was offlined by the Decepticon Sideways, while you were briefly killed by the driver. In that moment, I switched your Sparks, pulling you into this 'shard' and merging my Spark with yours, effectively saving you. Unfortunately, your parallel Spark did not survive. While you were in the hospital, my Spark analyzed yours, determining it to be compatible with what I needed._** ~

"What you needed? Why do you need me?"

~ ** _Your Spark resonates along the same wave-lengths and frequencies as my own. Your morals and views are very similar to my own as well. You learned from an early time, to defend your loved ones, to be willing to sacrifice yourself for their well-being. You know the world is not black and white, but shades of grey, that no one is pure good nor pure evil. You know that power corrupts, that everyone must be kept in check, no matter their position. The balance must be kept._** ~

"Okay, but what does that matter? How do you _need_ me?"

~ ** _Lore-Keeper, Secret-Keeper, I am protector and guardian. My Spark is Fading fast, I cannot leave for the Well until I have found a successor, one to carry on my duties. My Mission, set by Primus, by the first Primes. I ask that you accept this burden, to carry on for me._** ~ Turning, Elly stared as the hologram formed a winged Cybertronian. Golden optics watched neutrally, the slim frame decorated with swirling glyphs, highly tuned sensors flicking even now.

"Is this what you looked like?"

~ ** _One of my frames, yes,_** ~

"One frame?"

~ ** _When a successor is found and agrees, the present Lore-Keeper merges their Spark with them. This Spark merge combines both Sparks permanently, granting the knowledge of the previous Keeper to the new one. In effect, both are changed, with the newest Keeper becoming an entirely new Cybertronian, gaining the knowledge, memories, and experiences of all those before. What I am asking of you, is a terrible burden. You will no longer be you, you will struggle with your self-identity, no longer knowing what is you, and what is us. I am the twenty-seventh Lore-Keeper of my line, you will be the twenty-eighth if you agree._** ~

"You keep saying that, if I agree. It's my choice?"

~ ** _Of course, that is what the Holy One desires most, freedom of oneself. We will not force you, we will never force this upon you. However, you are our last hope. I cannot hold on much longer. The secrets I protect will die with me, secrets that could cost millions of lives._** ~

"What sort of secrets?"

~ ** _Ancient traditions of our people, weapons that would do more harm if allowed to be placed in the wrong servos, knowledge that could save Cybertron,_** ~

"If you know all that, why didn't you save Cybertron!"

~ ** _It is not my destiny, my fate, my Oaths prevent me from interfering._** ~

"Oaths?"

~ ** _I swore Oaths of Binding to my Mentor, before I became Keeper. I cannot interfere, or utilize the knowledge I keep and protect. I am a mere Vessel, one who is destined to carry the burden, to the one who can make a difference._** ~

"I can't stand back and watch others get hurt,"

~ ** _I know,_** ~ she watched his optics crinkle, a smile forming, ~ ** _I have waited for many vorns for my successor, one whom I anticipate will be cunning enough to work around her Oaths, to follow her Spark,_** ~

"You _want_ me to break your Oaths?"

~ ** _Never break your Oaths, femmeling. My Mentor was content to watch others squabble, he had no desire to interfere, and forced my Oaths to be similar. Many times I desired to help, to ignore my Oaths, but you must never become an Oath-breaker, femmeling. It is one of the most dishonorable actions a Cybertronian can commit._** ~ His optics looked away, his frame tensing. ~ ** _Please give me your decision, the others are approaching, I cannot hide you any longer._** ~

"The others? The Autobots? Or the Decepticons?"

~ ** _The others,_** ~ he repeated, ~ ** _They are all Cybertronian, but I fear more from your people._** ~ Elly closed her eyes, thoughts racing. Could she do what he wanted? Could she accept this? Was she strong enough to? She wasn't the most outspoken person in the world. She was practically a wall-flower, content to observe, to interfere only when she got riled up, which wasn't often. She didn't often feel the need to interfere with another's business, figured they could handle it, but there to help if they needed it. Could she protect secrets, could she kill to protect them? Depending on the secret, if it risked innocent lives, she would take it to the grave, but what about other things, things that could save lives? Could she hold back that knowledge and let others suffer? She knew she couldn't do that, but he wasn't going to make her, was he? He wanted her to be free to do as her heart wanted, he didn't want her to be bound like he was.

Which would be fine, except what about her family? Could she abandon them? Was it abandonment however? In a way, yes, but her family had always taught her to help others. Lore needed her, needed her to help Cybertron. It wasn't because she was a transfan, but her honest desire to help others, despite hating ignorance. Could she sacrifice her very self, her very soul, what she was, to become someone new? That terrified her more than the concept of fighting. Everything he said, though, rang true to her. She could tell his honesty was sincere. He went around it in a very stressful and roundabout way, but she could see and understand his lack of options. Could she make that sacrifice, like he had done?

Elly raised her head, hearing noises that sounded suspiciously like explosions in a quarry. Locking her eyes with his optics, she stepped closer to the center of the platform. "So how do we do this?"

~ ** _If you are certain, there is no going back,_** ~

"I understand,"

~ ** _My Spark must be extracted from your organic flesh, it will feel like something is being ripped away, but you must stand firm. After that, I will initiate the necessary bio-conversion protocols. While the protocols activate, you must announce your Oaths, accepting my Spark. You must not fight it,_** ~

"You're going to extract your Spark, just to put it back in me? Kinda redundant, isn't it?"

~ ** _After you announce your Oaths, your Spark will form, you will see our Sparks merge into one. Once that is complete, your organic frame will be synthesized into my own. I will give you my frame, since you do not possess one._** ~

"I'll be, a Cybertronian?"

~ ** _Indeed, femmeling, and the bio-conversion will determine your frame type, based on your Spark. ?This is it, are you ready?_** ~

"As ready as I'll ever be," she stepped to the center, two cables emerging by her sides to lightly coil around her arms. She vaguely noted they reminded her of Soundwave's cables from the second movie, before a third appeared in front of her, with a wicked looking needle end that reminded her of Scorponak's tail. "That thing isn't going to stab me, is it?" she shrieked.

~ ** _Hold still,_** ~ his words were not reassuring, she realized, just before it snapped open and latched on her chest. She didn't feel anything pierce her, however she did feel something in her chest get _yanked_. She bit down on her tongue, tasting dried blood, as the tugging became more and more painful, a strange sparkling forming around the claw, before it convalesced into what could only be a Spark. It shown in silver and white, streaks of blue and dancing stars, compressed into an orb roughly the size of a basketball.

"Pretty,"

" **?Activating bio-conversion protocol 11783, do you accept?** " a mechanized voice rumbled the platform.

~ ** _Announce your Oaths, then say Activate Protocol 11783-93,_** ~ he instructed, the holograms fading away.

"Wait, what do I say?" Faint amusement and tolerant patience.

~ ** _By Primus I swear to uphold my Oaths of service,_** ~

"By Primus, I swear to uphold my Oaths of service," as she spoke, several glyphs lit up, more cables appearing to lightly touch her arms and legs.

~ ** _To keep the secrets passed down to me,_** ~

"To keep the secrets passed down to me," Another one touched the back of her head, threading through her hair to rest at the base of her head.

~ ** _Say your Oaths, femmeling,_** ~ She barely heard the crash of rocks, the whining of systems as Prime tore into the cavern.

"I, I swear, to guard them with my life, to sacrifice all I am," she paused, remembering his words, firming her resolve, "To use this knowledge to better Cybertron, to better all Cybertronians, to protect them, to comfort them, to give everything I have, so they have a better future."

"NO!" Her eyes shot to the side, seeing him rushing down the path, Ironhide behind him, only for the traps to activate, flinging them back and into the cavern wall.

~ ** _Finish your Oaths, my successor,_** ~

"This I so swear." Her eyes caught and locked with pained blue optics, "Activate Protocol 11783-93."

" **Protocol 11783-93 approved, bio-conversion activating.** "

"No! Deactivate Protocol 11783-93! Prime Directive 88714!"

" **Prime Directive 88714, denied, initiating bio-conversion,** " The plates underneath her shifted, every glyph glowing white. Elly watched, stunned, as the plates twisted, rising, and forming a huge lotus flower around her. She felt soft brushes against her skin, the cables oozing a clear almost silicone-like jelly that stuck to her arms, legs, and along her spine. She allowed them to manipulate her, lifting her up as Lore's Spark was nudged into her arms. Hovering in a fetal position, wrapped around his Spark, she felt it tease against her skin, little kisses of electricity rolling up and down her body, before warmth formed in her own chest. Looking down, she could only stare as a small orb emerged from her chest, swirling a soft blue-green, lightly flickering against Lore's. She was not expecting his Spark to shatter, the pieces darting inside her, making her Spark grow bigger with each pulse, silver swirls joining the blue-green, until it seemed as though stars were dancing inside her. It was over in a few seconds, her Spark swelling up to be just larger than Lore's had been, protectively cradled in her arms and tucked between her curled legs.

"~ **We Are One,** ~" her voice with Lore's, murmured together. As though that were the key, the metal frame shuddered, each plate compressing, closing in around her. The mechs could only watch as it folded down, each inner petal interconnecting as the larger ones folded on top, interlocking and compressing down to form a thick pod, the light of the Spark inside becoming trapped and hidden from view.

* * *

 _ **Don't fight it.**_

 _ **Don't fight it.**_

 _ **Don't fight it.**_

' _Don't fight what?_ ' she wondered, recalling Lore's instruction. She felt like she was floating, curled up loosely, her knees drawn to her chest, hands drifting lightly against her ankles. Open or closed, her eyes only saw darkness, the murky surroundings brushing against her skin like she was underwater. She absently realized she was naked, but she didn't feel bothered about it, which was strange. Then again, her entire situation was strange, wasn't it? She didn't know how long she floated there, minutes, hours, days, years, when something lightly poked her. It was soft, very light, before becoming more insistent, pressing against the back of her head.

 _ **Don't fight it.**_

' _Fight?_ _ **'**_

 _ **Don't fight it.**_

A sharp stab instantly had her screaming silently. It started at the back of her head, before it traveled down her spine, along the back of her arms and legs. Opening her eyes, she wished she didn't. The darkness had formed a mass of black cables, cables that were pushing inside her. Every place they entered, a silvery metal bubbled up, almost alive as it started to devour her, for lack of a better description. Slamming her eyes shut, hearing his order, over and over, she didn't fight. Her skin was on fire, soon her organs were too, as they were changed, atom by atom, into metallic alloy. It was only when her chest began burning, did she start struggling.

 _ **!Fight now!**_

 _ **Fight it!**_

Cussing mentally at the top of her mental lungs, she felt the fire spread as she struggled, feeling neural lines forming and connecting. The more she struggled, the more formed, the more they strengthened. Knowing this somehow, she struggled even after she became exhausted, pushing more and more, until the black cabling writhed around her in a cocoon. It was only when the burning started to fade, a Spark-pulse at a time, did she finally give into peaceful oblivion.

* * *

It was quiet, way too quiet, Matt nervously fiddled with his belt pouches. He glanced over at the silver pod again, darting his eyes away just as quickly, as though afraid it would transform and lunge at him like a video game jump scare. To be fair, however, the Autobots _had_ warned them that they didn't know _what_ would emerge from the metal cocoon. After he had been knocked unconscious by the girl, Elly, he recalled vaguely, he had been found by his teammates. They had teased and ridiculed him ever since, but at the time they were more worried about the situation. After reports indicated she had fled to the bar, and then _somehow_ escaped it, they had rushed to follow the bio-sig that had lit up every Bot's sensors when she _teleported_ away from Prime and Bumblebee.

He understood vaguely that somehow, the Key they had been hunting was a container that had housed a powerful Spark, which had nestled itself _inside_ her when Sideways had hit her car. It had apparently taken over her body after the Decepticon had sent her fleeing into the sewers, and apparently had a cloak over her to hide her from the Autobot sensors. The cloak failed after the burst of Energon needed for it to teleport her away. That had all of them scrambling to follow the powerful signal, chasing off Decepticon pursuers as well. Prime and Ironhide had been the first to realize the signal was coming from a closed quarry nearly twenty miles away, the two busting through the quarry walls until they landed in a closed cavern. When the soldiers arrived, however, it was to see two defeated Autobots carrying a large metal pod out.

"The lil femme sacrificed 'erself to save this mech," the Weapons Specialist had curtly informed them, glancing at his Prime with regret. All the soldiers instantly knew how guilty the Prime must have been feeling. He had spoken to them about how responsible he felt for her injuries, he had even paid for her medical expenses and fought with the insurance company to give her enough credit to replace her totaled vehicle. For him to fail her after all that effort and angst, they let him grieve privately as he cradled the pod, waiting for transport to take it back to one of their smaller, closer bases.

It had been two weeks since then, the pod having remained closed and nearly silent, despite Ratchet's and the others' scans and attempts to connect to it. It remained in an unused storage warehouse, large enough for the mechs to be comfortable inside as they routinely checked on it, with a small area given seating for the soldiers to keep watch as well. He was currently playing sentry duty with Ironhide; the Weapons Specialist had taken a personal interest in the pod, both as a security hazard, as well as because of Prime's guilt. He had, however, chosen sentry-duty today instead of dealing with the politics Prime was in the middle of. If there was anything he hated worse than Decepticons, it was dealing with the ignorant politicians whom kept insisting on gaining their weapons technology, something that was actually _his_ final say, versus the Prime's. The mech was outside the warehouse, however, soaking up the last of the sunlight, leaving Matt by himself, staring at the pod with rising fear. As though sensing his gaze on it, once again, without the sharp optics locked on it as well, the pod let out a soft hiss.

"Shit, shit, shit," he jumped up, hand on his holster, staring at it.

"Stop bein' so fraggin' jumpy," he idly heard Ironhide call. The fact that he didn't move, showed just how often Matt had been spooked.

"It, it hissed at me!" he called back, trying not to whine. He heard a snort as a response, but his eyes were locked onto one strange piece. Stepping slowly closer, he watched as it rotated, centimeter by centimeter, before clicking and disappearing inside. His eyes were drawn to another piece, watching it do the exact same thing, before another, and another. "Hey, 'Hide?!"

"What?" his voice was tired and gruff, putting the young soldier off a bit.

"Uh, it IS moving-AHH!" he jumped as it suddenly shuddered loudly, before unfolding rapidly. At his scream, he heard Ironhide's engine roar, initiating his own transformation and shoving on the door. Matt scrambled backwards, before a servo slammed to his left, then his right, making him squeal, as the frame finally formed. Staring up, he felt his heart pound. A gentle helm framed with what looked like metal feathers that flared like a crest before lowering again, bright golden optics staring unfocused out of a gentle heart-shaped face, soft pointed nose and lips, audials rotating and looking almost like feathers as well. A slim neck smoothing over gently curved shoulders and graceful arms, a slim chassis that looked slightly flatter than the mechs' on base, curving down to form a pretty waist and curved hips, strong legs that, he noted in surprise, were disjointed like a bird's, with three clawed toes in front and a single perched up on the heel. What really caught his attention, however, were the huge feathered wings flaring up behind the pretty Cybertronian. Large, each metal feather had intricate tiny glyphs carved into each, forming the veins on them, and each shifted, rotated, and rattled against the others.

"Frag, Stiles! Move!" Ironhide's barking command jerked him out of his daze, making him scramble back. Just in time too, since the new Cybertronian suddenly face-planted right where he had been sitting. The gleaming silver protoform twitched several times, whining as limbs splayed out before clumsily shuddering against the concrete. He could only watch as Ironhide rushed forward, his servos reaching forward and lifting her helm and shoulders up.

' _Yup, gotta be a girl_ ,' he thought, slightly hysterical, ' _She's too pretty to be a guy, wait, they don't really have genders, right?_ ' He visibly gulped, however, when her servos reached up, grabbing onto Ironhide's forearms, flexing wicked sharp pointed claws. ' _With a killer manicure,_ ' The Weapons Specialist only flinched a moment when she grabbed him, but continued lifting her as she struggled to get her knees underneath her. Overbalancing, she ended up plastered against his chassis, her helm turning, as her golden optics finally focused.

Elly blinked, staring down at the soldier, vaguely knowing that something wasn't right. Finally seeing how small he was, she jerked back from the warm metal she was pressed against, a startled shriek emerging as she realized she was being half-held by a mech. Shoving herself back, feeling his servos scramble against her, she felt two heavy weights on her back suddenly overthrow her shaky balance, sending her crashing to the ground on her back. The back of her helm slammed into the concrete floor, making her ears, audials, ring and flinch, but oddly enough, it didn't hurt. Staring up at the warehouse roof, her eyes, optics, focused on the skylights, her heart, Spark, suddenly calming. Inhaling, venting, shakily, her optics focused on the open door, her Spark suddenly demanding she get out.

" **By the Allspark, a femmelin',** " she understood the clicks and whirls, vaguely realizing it was the Common dialect, but she was more focused on the sky outside. Her toes flexed, her legs following suit, before she rolled. Awkwardly, she scrambled to her hands, servos, her legs bent strangely as she attempted to crawl. The strange weights on her back shifted, flaring open and closed, strange readings scrolling past her vision. She almost protested the servos grabbing her arm again, until she realized they were being gentle, pulling her up to her shaky pedes, helping her move to the door. A soothing pulse from his EM field, pressing reassurances and caution towards her as they emerged. She noted the soldier scrambling after them, but as soon as they left the warehouse, she was staring up at the sky.

The sunset was breath-taking, she realized, vibrant colors that she had no name for becoming more apparent. As the sun disappeared, the stars began to become visible to her keen eyesight. Stumbling away from the mech, oblivious to the gathering crowd, she took several shaky steps forward, a soft trill escaping her vocals, several tones merging and combining with it, until it formed a sweet melody. Feeling her Spark swell, she felt the weights, her wings, she realized, flare open. The dying solar rays made each glyph sparkle like diamonds, energy suddenly rushing through her as she absorbed them. She was still singing, she realized absently, singing to the stars and sky, her optics taking in the visible expanse, as she memorized the sensations of the wind brushing against her wings, her protoform glimmering.

~ **? _Initiate alternative mode scan? A/N._** ~

~ ** _Negative,_** ~ she declined absently, enjoying the sense of freedom. She took another step, a strange urge to just take off, suddenly forming.

~ **? _Initiate protective armor? A/N._** ~

~ ** _Affirmative,_** ~ she agreed, feeling weak without any armor plates protecting her sensitive protoform. With several hisses and clicks, she felt her armor form, appearing from subspace, snugly forming over her delicate frame and bulking her up just a bit.

" **Femmelin',** " the soft call behind her made her pause. Turning her helm, staring at the large black mech, she trilled a low question, her melody slowing to end sweetly. " **?What is yer des'gn'tion?** "

' _Designation?_ ' she wondered, confused, answering almost immediately, "Elly," Seconds later, she realized she spoke English, while he had been speaking Common. Moments after that, her helm felt like it was going to explode as memories flooded her. Grabbing her helm, she stumbled as a soft cry of pain left her, barely avoiding stepping on several soldiers she hadn't noticed were nearby. Her wings flared, drooping, before her legs gave out, sending her to the ground, as her Spark heated up, flaring and sending agony throughout her frame. She vaguely heard alarmed shouts, large servos tugging on her wings, muffled curses, but all she could focus on was the burning heat.

"G'T WATER! SHE IS SLAGGIN' BURNIN' UP!" Running pede-steps.

"Ironhide! No! She is Blazing!"

"WHAT! How the frag is she Blazin' Ratchet!"

"She is a youngling! Have you slagging forgotten what Blazing is?!"

"G't the humans out of 'ere! Sideswipe, Jolt, help me g't 'er back inside!"

"She is fragging burning, 'Hide! This is the worst Blazing I have ever seen,"

"What the hell is 'Blazing' and why is she melting the asphalt?!" that was a human voice, she numbly realized as they struggled to drag her back into the warehouse.

"Blazing is our term, her protoform and armor are going into their final mature state, growing pains as you humans get. She is entering her final frame," she felt something prod her neck, before a soft cooling sensation. A weak chirp left her as she went strut-less, going limp as they maneuvered her onto her side, her wings twitching as her frame shuddered. " **?Scrap, is she being Marked as well?** " the worry in his tone had her opening her optics, locking on the red and white Medic. A fresh wave of agony made her plates rattle dangerously, vents going full blast as she tried cycling cool air to her overheating systems.

" **Ratchet,** " she blearily caught movement, the Medic moving aside, a silver mech and silver-blue mech also moving aside. Red and blue colors stepped into her sight, the mech kneeling beside her. His servo settled against her helm, cold against her overheated plating, making her keen and press against him. He didn't seem to mind the heat visibly rising from her, scooping her into his arms. Under her cheek, she felt his Spark pulse calmly, and then a cooling sensation stroked against her.

' _The Matrix?_ ' she wondered, as she nuzzled deeper into his embrace, softly keening as her wings ached. The heat was still there, but now it felt like something was prickling her. Opening her optics, she watched as the armor on the back of her hand smoked, designs burning themselves into the metal. Watching, horrified and yet awed, it formed delicate filigree before becoming washed with color. Her fingers remained bright silver, however her armor turned a vibrant shimmery blue-green, like a male peacock's plumage. The tiny designs faded into black and silver, decorating the seams, becoming almost invisible. The colors washed over her arm, leaving her visible protoform primarily a matte black with silver designs, her armor the rich vibrant blue-green, tipped in shiny silver.

She caught a glimpse of her right wing as she cuddled deeper into his embrace, her wings folding trustingly and pressing into him. The outside of her wings were primarily matte black, vibrant blue and green bars and spots forming delicate designs, with each feather tip looking almost dipped in shiny silver. The glyphs sparkled along them, she knew they were the secrets she was meant to guard, encoded only for her to legibly read them. Her inner wings, however, were primarily silver and a soft pearly white. Glancing at her reflection in his windshield, she noted her face was the same soft pearly white, large gold optics set in matte black, with blue and green speckles on the outside of her optics. Feeling him cradle her, knowing that she was losing to the blackness creeping up on her, she wondered how she was going to handle _this_ newest situation.

* * *

Notes:

~Hello~ = internal com

" **Bold** " = spoken Common

 **Vorn** \- roughly 83 Earth years

* * *

Chapter four is complete. Read and enjoy!


	5. I'm a metal flying kangaroo!

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 2/28/17

Published:8/8/17

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

Chapter Warnings:Ratchet pulls his wrench, and Elly gets snippy with him

Chapter Five: Forget a Dorito, I am a metal flying kangaroo!

* * *

Previously:

She caught a glimpse of her right wing as she cuddled deeper into his embrace, her wings folding trustingly and pressing into him. The outside of her wings were primarily matte black, vibrant blue and green bars and spots forming delicate designs, with each feather tip looking almost dipped in shiny silver. The glyphs sparkled along them, she knew they were the secrets she was meant to guard, encoded only for her to legibly read them. Her inner wings, however, were primarily silver and a soft pearly white. Glancing at her reflection in his windshield, she noted her face was the same soft pearly white, large gold optics set in matte black, with blue and green speckles on the outside of her optics. Feeling him cradle her, knowing that she was losing to the blackness creeping up on her, she wondered how she was going to handle this newest situation.

* * *

When Elly woke again, annoyed with herself at the constant bouts of unconsciousness, she was curled up on her side in the warehouse. Two soldiers chatted quietly in the small area decorated with a couple of chairs and a flimsy table. Sitting rather close to them, interacting with them sparingly, was a bright scarlet-colored mech. From the vaguely familiar accent, she determined he might be Dino from the third movie. She felt confusion wash over her, recalling mechs that were in the movies, and mentions of others who were not. Also, she recalled Ratchet was primarily white and red, instead of the lime green or mint green.

' _This isn't the movie-verse, perhaps a combination then?_ ' she mused. As if that thought was a cypher, several files popped up in her HUD, making her blink. It was strange, almost like she was wearing the futuristic virtual-reality visors. Focusing on the files that popped up, she began experimenting. She soon got the basics of accessing the files and navigating different codes and areas of her internal systems; reading the files, however, made her appreciate Lore's meticulousness. He had organized and set up 'tutorial' files for her, since he hadn't properly trained her. They also contained basics that Cybertronians grew up with, confirming and disproving quite a bit of transfan theories, as well as revealing information that hadn't been thought of. One file was comprised of a scan of her frame.

' _I'm, a Seeker?_ ' she blinked in confusion, before thinking more heavily on it. ' _Explains my desperate need to get out of the warehouse when I woke up,_ ' she thought, ' _And my wings, which are, wow._ ' Recalling her memories of right before she slipped unconscious again, she mentally frowned. ' _I cuddled up against Optimus Prime, I think I'm gonna die of embarrassment,_ '

" ' **Ello, lil femme. ?You finally awake**?" the accented Common rang soothingly in her audials, the purring quality sounding the equivalent of an Italian accent. Her optics brightened, the files minimizing in her HUD as she focused. For a long moment, she stared at the bright optics staring into hers, before she squeaked and jerked back in a seated position, wings flaring open before wrapping around her protectively. "Ah t'ink she ez awake,"

"Scared the shit outta her more like Dino!" the laughing soldiers abandoned their cards, moving forward to watch with interest as the mech lightly prodded the bristled metallic feathers. His servo jerked back, optics eying the sliced metal with a whistle of appreciation. Kneeling next to the rattling plates, he let out a soothing churring tone, winglets flickering. The tone instantly took effect, her wings ceasing their rattling before carefully peeling apart, startled golden optics peeking between them. He purposefully flicked his wings again, her optics instinctively drawing up to watch them. The soldiers watched the two, confused at the silent communication, as he lowered them slowly, before raising them. Her wings folded back, drawing low but then flared down, visible twitching in a defensive show. Letting out another low tone, Dino settled his wings in a relaxed neutral position. After several moments, her wings relaxed again, drawing back up to be folded delicately against her back, the tips curling up to splay against the concrete. His optics observed them, noting just how oddly large her wings were. Considering her slim frame, her wings were quite over-sized, reaching past her knee components, lower if she had them drooping entirely.

"Yah a'ight dere, lil fem," he crooned, accidently speaking English. It had become habit to slip into English around the humans, since it was considered rude to speak a foreign language around non-speakers. Realizing after a moment that he had slipped, he went to repeat in Common when she chuffed an odd clicking vent.

"How would _you_ like it if some stranger's face was suddenly in front of yours?" she snipped, in perfect English, to his befuddlement.

"Whoa dere, did ol' Ratch give ya data packets? He didn' say anythin' to me,"

"Data packets? What are you talking about?" she questioned, looking at him oddly.

"Ya're speakin' Anglish, an 'uman language, lil fem,"

"Of course I am, you numbskull, English is my first language!" she drew back, offended, "What, did you think I would forget how to speak it, now that I've species-changed?" Blue optics blinked, as the two soldiers looked absolutely stunned.

"Wait, ' _species-changed_ ' did I hear that right?"

"Uh, if not then I'm hearing the same weird shit,"

"Then that means,"

"HOLY SHIT! SHE'S THAT GIRL!"

"Den, ya not some lost bot revived by 'er sacrifice," he wondered. Her optics narrowed, annoyed. As the soldiers began questioning Dino, completely ignoring her, she silently seethed. Looking down, Elly observed her new frame, her toes twitching. Everything felt the same, she noted, moving her servos, they felt like her hands, her legs, the only difference being it felt like she was stretching her feet. Examining her clawed toes, she figured the best way of walking would be like balancing on tip-toe. As she flexed them, noting the claw on her heel and managing to flex it too, she figured her wings would give her the most trouble. She had to still be in shock, she mused as she tucked her odd pedes underneath her, managing to rock into a crouch, the mech and humans oblivious to her movements. She was too calm, after being changed into a Cybertronian, after the events of the last two weeks.

' _Had it only been two weeks?_ ' she wondered. Rolling her shoulders, she felt her wings perk up, flexing before opening cautiously partway. Flexing cables, noting each movement and corresponding movement, she figured to hell with it. Rocking back, she jerked forward, pushing on her toes, straightening her legs. Her wings instinctively flared open as she jerked upright, arms shooting out to the sides. She smirked darkly at the startled cries as the soldiers jumped back, Dino cussing as he backed up as well. Stepping clumsily forward, she wobbled as she fought to find her new balance. Her toes spread out, claws clicking on the concrete, as tension cables contracted and loosened, her frame swaying slightly from side to side as she felt her balance form. Arching her wings up, she took several slow careful steps, feeling out her joints, until she was confident. Picking up the speed as she paced around the relatively cleared front part of the warehouse, ignoring the observing males, she trilled softly as she suddenly spun, her wings flaring open. Feeling how they altered her balance, she taught herself how to compensate, equating it to the sensation of carrying a backpack.

" **Impressive, I was not expecting her to be moving around as well so quickly,** " she jerked, turning her helm, the crest flaring up, her optics locking on the sudden crowd of mechs watching her. Dino was crouching on the floor, tapping his faceplates in thought. The red and white Medic, Ratchet she realized, had his arms crossed over his chassis, a displeased expression on his faceplate. Tilting her helm, she noted he looked very similar to Prime-verse Ratchet, with hints of Bay-verse and G1. Behind him, Ironhide stood gruffly, mostly Bay-verse she noted, with slight differences. Beside him was a smaller silver-blue mech, about half a helm taller than her. A ping against her HUD opened, identifying him as Jolt, a Communications Tech, apprenticed to Blaster, as well as a part-time medical apprentice under Ratchet. The next two mechs, however, had her wings folding defensively, a silver and gold set of twins, identified as Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. It wasn't that she didn't like the twins, it was the fact she was a Seeker now, and they were _very_ good at taking down airborne Seekers. The last mech had her wings perk up a bit, however, the familiar black and yellow mech trilling a greeting to her, his baby blue optics brightening when he noticed her optics on him.

= _ **!Hello!_Nice-to-see-you_Wow-you-are-pretty_Please-don't-be-afraid**_ = he chirped.

" **Bumblebee,** " Ratchet rolled his optics, glaring at the hovering mechs. " **?** **What are all of you-** "

= _ **Hello_Sweet-Bot_You're-so-cute_Not-afraid_Confused_?Where-am-I?**_ = her chirps and trills immediately made Bumblebee's winglets perk up, his frame prancing forward as the Medic stopped abruptly, staring in shock, joined by the others. Focusing on him, Elly bounced forward, playfulness suddenly bursting from her Spark, her wings fluttering as she almost glided to meet him.

= _ **At-base_Headquarters_Safe_Autobots-protect_?Designation?**_ =

= _ **Elly_?Designation?_?Autobots?_?Not-human-anymore?_?Answers?_Sky_Need-sky_?What's-Seeker?_Too-much-information_Too-little-information**_ =

= _ **Bumblebee_Faction-in-war_Protect-humans_Decepticons-enemies_Do-not-care-for-humans_No-not-human-anymore_Prime-give-answers_Need-wait_Sky-will-not-disappear_Nighttime_No-humans-see_Seekers-fly-need-sky_Sorry-no-information_Cannot-explain**_ = Their frames swayed slightly, their wings flickering in unison, silently sending emotional cues. Elly was bemused at reading him so easily, understanding instinctively the cues his wings were sending her. They were about the same height, she noted, though he was far more bulky than her, not counting her wings.

" **?They are speaking Scout-burst, right? ?How is that possible? It takes nearly a vorn of constant training to compute that rapid style of communication,** " Jolt mused aloud in Common, watching with great interest. A soft hum, before Ironhide stepped forward, his optics glinting strangely as he shared a worried look with Ratchet. Before anyone could do or say something, he barked out a sharp command that the twins instantly reacted to. Their weapons cycled quickly, but remained locked at a warning glance from the Weapons Specialist.

= **!** **Unknown Comply!_!Submit!** = Elly's wings shot up, her optics shooting up to lock with his, hardening, a snarl bursting from her vocals as her engines rumbled dangerously. Three stomps forward, her wings flared as she stepped in front of Bumblebee protectively.

= **!** **Refuse!_!Demand all you want!_!No surrender!** = she snapped back, lapsing into the Warrior-burst class dialect. Jolt hissed, startled, recognizing the new dialect, despite not being fluent in it.

" **Prime was right, slag it, we are dealing with a Descent-class,** " Ratchet cursed softly as the younger mechs looked puzzled. Jolt clicked in thought absently before his optics brightened as he vaguely recalled a scrap of connected information.

" **I thought Descent-classes were myths, the tech needed for that kind of transference is beyond our abilities.** "

" **It was a carefully hidden secret technique, one that could not be used lightly. Most of those who attempted it, without being Descent-classed, were offlined. It takes great experience to utilize it, and understanding of coding that few can learn.** " Ratchet stepped forward, raising his servos up as she aggressively flared at him. Clicking slowly and softly as he approached, throwing a gimlet optic at the amused Weapons Specialist, he let out a low tone.

= **calm_safe_no danger** = he purred in Medical-burst, reluctant yet hopeful. Her golden optics gentled, flaring slightly as she focused on him, her helm shaking slightly as her wings lowered, confusion buzzing in her EM field.

= **confused_?what was that?** = He vented softly, startled and yet pleased. First Aid had been his last Apprentice whom had taken to Medical-burst easily. Jolt, his primary function being Communications, was adept at it, but it wasn't the same. He noted that she lapsed quickly into Medical, though, his Spark humming in thought. One of the more recent Masters had to have been primarily Medical-classed, he determined, considering Medical was almost as difficult to learn as Scout.

" **You are alright, femmeling, Ironhide should not have done that, your systems are still calibrating from your conversion.** " She threw a quick look at the large mech, frowning briefly, before her optics shifted to the twins, frown becoming deeper. " **?What is it, femmeling?** "

" **?That was, Warrior-burst, is it similar to Gladiator-burst?** " she asked, uncertain. The twins shifted uncomfortably, before firming their resolve, staring at her with a sudden menacing air.

" **Similar, with more authority, and less cursing,** " Ratchet caught their tension, startled that she knew they had once been Kaon Gladiator-class. Musing, recalling that Dino had informed them that she claimed to be the human femme, he wondered just how much information she had managed to access from the conversion. She was acting with conflicting protocols, his optics narrowed, or rather _reacting_ , with those protocols, however her processors didn't seem overwhelmed. " **?How are you feeling? I need to scan you, to make certain your frame has stabilized from the Blazing and Marking,** "

" **?The what?** " He withheld the venting snort, noting that the others didn't. His processors were slowly piecing together what intel he had, and he was quickly becoming irritated with what he was coming up with. Fighting back the urge to snap at her, knowing it wasn't her fault, he turned his ire on the others.

"OUT! ALL OF YOU! OUT!" The soldiers nearly jumped as they ran to the door, the younger mechs instantly moving as well. Ironhide didn't even flinch, despite giving him a knowing look, venting heavily before herding them out.

" **!Wait! ?Why the slag do we have to leave? !She is a security threat!** " Sideswipe protested, Sunstreaker nodding his helm as he threw another suspicious look at the small femme. His very Spark was persistent that he keep an optic on her, alarmed that she had known they were Gladiator-classed, and demanding to know _how_ she knew it.

" **I am about to examine her, including a Spark scan, which as you know very well, is a private and confidential medical examination. ?How would you like it if I paraded your Spark in front of several mechs you didn't know?** " Ratchet snapped, pulling his favored wrench out and pointing it at the front-liner threateningly. Sideswipe flinched back, glancing at his brother. Sunstreaker growled lowly before Ironhide grabbed their back-plates.

" **Stand guard with me outside,** " he ordered, yanking them out of the door. Bumblebee chirped questioningly, amused as he side-stepped around her, waving as he also exited. The CMO slammed the doors shut, grumbling darkly, before turning back to her, optics observing as she seemed to shrink into herself.

' _ **A Seeker, and yet, she,**_ ' he wondered, seeing her armor compress, wings clamping down tight, her arms drawing up defensively, ' _ **She is too timid. Seekers are usually confident, out-going, nearly flamboyant in every action.**_ ' She was not, he observed with disquiet. She was watching him just as intently, fear nearly crippling her EM field, and yet her frame did not actively show it. ' _ **Humans do not, cannot, sense EM fields, though,**_ ' he acknowledged as he approached slowly. ' _ **She does not know how to control that, but how is she doing so well? She should have broken down, been hysterical, and yet, she was accepting of her situation, frag, she has not even questioned our presence. Alien autonomous lifeforms, not counting our transformation abilities. ?Does she have access to all the knowledge of her Masters? Unless, she locked parts of her processors down. ?She was confused with the Dialects, yet managed to utilize them, perhaps that is the key? ?When she is faced with a key cypher, will that unlock her knowledge?**_ ' Stepping up to her, noting her height and mass with an external scan, he performed the menial scans without a thought, the long vorns of practice coming into play.

Elly obediently followed his cues, her optics guarded yet curious, ' _He's thinking,_ ' she noted, fighting a small smile. ' _Understandable, really. Not every day a human squishy gets turned into a Cybertronian. At least not in this universe I hope,_ ' Following his quiet directions, she flexed her limbs under his scrutinizing optics.

" **Okay, open your chest-plates,** " She froze, looking at him questioningly. Logically, as a transfan, she _knew_ what he wanted, but she didn't know _how_ to do it. As a human, one didn't often open their chests, at least not without serious repercussions. A stifled amusing mental image of her flashing him arose in her mind, her engine stuttering as she fought the laughter. As she stood there looking blankly for a moment, his optics focused when she didn't immediately do so, irritated at her hesitance when before she had readily done as he directed. " **Open up,** " he tapped her chassis pointedly, giving her an annoyed look. Looking down, Elly furrowed her brow, then tapped hesitantly against her chassis. A soft quiet snort in front of her had her looking back at him with an embarrassed flush.

" **?How? !I've never, I mean, it isn't like humans open themselves up like this, unless you count streaking and flashing people!** " she chittered, annoyed. As the CMO's optics dimmed, obviously looking up what she said, she crossed her arms over her chassis. A choked noise made her wings flick, optics looking at him in confusion. The choking noise continued, his chassis trembling, his optics brightening in shock, before a roar of laughter escaped him. At the noise, the door was yanked open, stunned optics from the three mechs outside peering inside. Feeling her Spark prickle at the invasion of privacy, Elly side-stepped around the laughing Medic, glaring at them. " **!GET OUT! !I AM NOT FLASHING YOU PERVERTED GLITCHES SO GET YOUR PROCESSORS OUT OF THE GUTTER!** " she screeched, uncaring if the entire base heard her. A warmth against one wing had her stretching the limb out, her servo grasping one of the primary feathers and tugging it free. With a strangled yell of fury, she threw it, the blade singing through the air to slice through the metal of the warehouse's door, becoming lodged to the hilt, and only a few inches away from a suddenly frightened twin. She didn't care which, letting loose another angered screech, reaching for another blade, before the door was slammed shut again.

" **Femme has good aim, although she needs a bit more practice if she was aiming for your helm Sunstreaker,** " the gruff voice was loud enough for them to hear inside.

" **!Shut up Ironhide!** "

" **Easy femmeling,** " Ratchet reached out, setting a calming servo on her bristled shoulder, calming his laughter. He was _not_ expecting _that_ to come out of the previously timid femme. As she muttered darkly about perverts, his fingers tapped against the manual release catches, the interlocking metal twitching before unlocking under his experienced fingers, folding away to bare her internals. She noted that while her Spark glowed a bit, it was still hidden away, her helm tilting curiously. She twitched as the scans brushed against her sensors, an almost ticklish sensation. He poked and prodded at her internals for several moments, muttering under his breath as he absently identified her various systems, filing the information into a medical file. He then focused more on her enclosed Spark, fingers lightly stroking the chamber that hid her essence. With a short medical-data-burst, her chamber unlocked, folding away to reveal her blue-green Spark, pearly stars swirling inside the compressed energy. He filed notes on it, despite the odd coloration, noting it was pulsing regularly, had the correct output and input readings, well within normal energy levels. Closing her chamber up again, he prodded underneath it, confirming the Spark port was present, before checking the sides. A curious noise escaped his vocals, his optics resetting as he spotted not one, but _two_ gestation chambers, on either side of her lower Spark.

" **?What is it?** "

" **You have two gestation chambers, where normally there is only one,** " he revealed. Her vents hitched, optics furrowing.

" **?Gestation chambers? ?Are those like** uteruses **?** "

" **In a way, yes. However they also are used to carry Sparklings that have already emerged. Similar to the** Earth mammalian infraclass Marsupialia **,** " he explained. Her brow rose, staring blankly down at his helm as he scanned the two chambers.

" **I see,** " she murmured, ' _Forget a Dorito, I am a giant metal, flying, kangaroo,_ ' she mused, slightly disconcerted at this discovery. " **?I have two? ?Is that gonna be a problem?** "

" **Perhaps, thankfully they are not active. Your frame is not ready for Sparklings, nor will it be for some time, thank Primus.** "

" **Not ever I hope,** " she muttered. The CMO froze, hearing that, before straightening and looking at her oddly.

" **You do not want Sparklings.** " It sounded like a question and statement rolled into one. She shrugged, looking away.

" **Never thought about having kids, or if I did, it was merely adoption,** " she admitted, " **I traumatized myself, watching a video of a woman giving birth. THAT was the best contraceptive ever,** " He studied her quietly for several long moments, his systems humming quietly.

" **You are still young, far too young, to think about Sparklings anyway** ," he dismissed, " **However, I pray you will find a Bot that you love and feel comfortable with, that perhaps one day you will think of the possibilities of reproducing**." Looking at him oddly, Elly thought about what he just said. He didn't seem concerned, even encouraging her to wait, making her consider the possibility of the Allspark. She felt a now familiar ping in her HUD, a wry smirk forming. Accessing this new file as he finished up his exam, she tried to contain her surprise.

' _The Allspark is still intact,_ ' her Spark pulsed nervously. Lore's history files were incomplete at best, particularly since he had crashed onto Earth, using his limited Energon to go into stasis until now. A quick read-through, by Primus there was a lot of information, the war had occurred as she had thought, mechs uprising against the unfair caste system, Megatron leading the way until Optimus was chosen as Prime instead of him, before he became corrupted. Optimus had launched the Cube into space, hoping to keep it from Megatron's grasp. When they had all eventually left the dying Cybertron to go find it, however, it hadn't simply crashed onto Earth. 'Lore, you are a glitch!' He had come across the relic, been drawn to it, and had effectively taken it, doing his duty and keeping it out of the wrong servos. Hiding it as best he could, he wasn't able to completely lock down its signal, which had of course drawn the Ark and the Nemesis to Earth. In a move that nearly cost his life, Lore had effectively disabled both ships, knocking them all into stasis, the ships sinking into the ground as the centuries covered them in layers of sediment and earth. The Cube had activated nearly a hundred years ago, sending out soft pings that eventually roused them, before Lore deactivated the beacon, sealing the Relic inside his subspace in one last effort to hide it.

' _Ratchet called me a Descent-class,_ ' she mused, ' _Then that means,_ ' her HUD brought up the inventory in her subspace, her engines stuttering a moment as she eyed the long list of relics he and his Mentors before him had collected over the vorns. She finally understood now why her frame had been designed so unlike the other Seekers. In an effort to keep the Allspark sealed away, all the other relics had been _changed_ , each of her feather-blades contained several relics, subspaced down into the glyphs. ' _But how is that possible?_ ' Another file pinged at her, making her open it with a blink. Reading through it, she nearly started laughing hysterically. ' _Lore was right, the bio-conversion HAD scanned my Spark, and apparently all my ideas written on my USB,_ ' It had been a mere theory that had formed in her mind, a useful magical/supernatural ability that had started to form a basic story she had been thinking of writing. After watching the movie Inkheart, she had imagined magical tattoos that could be used as hidden storage or even compared as subspace. Apparently during her conversion, that idea had been utilized. _How_ it managed that feat, was unknown, though she had a feeling that there was a higher power watching, and most likely laughing at her.

" **Well femmeling, it appears everything is running smoothly, thank Primus,** " He closed her chassis, moving slowly and pointedly as he noted her watching him closely. " **However, I do have questions, ones I doubt that you would like to hear or answer,** " he gave her a pointed look. Tilting her helm at him curiously, she kept herself calm and unconcerned. " **You seem to have no problems with accepting your situation, as well as our presence,** " he started. Unbeknownst to her, he was broadcasting this discussion on the Officer-burst-link, Optimus and the others passing along questions. He felt only slightly guilty at not informing her, she had relaxed in his presence, her EM field softly pinging against his, the stress she hadn't visibly shown had finally left her field after her aggressive display to the three mech intruders. He didn't quite realize that she had relaxed simply because he hadn't yelled at her for the attack.

" **And tell me,** " she drawled, unimpressed at the straight-forward yet lousy-attempt-at-being-subtle beginning, " **?What good would it do for me to bawl and scream like a baby? What's done is done, I agreed to save Lore's Spark, although I wasn't expecting this,** " she waved at her new body. She figured she'd be a plain Bot, just like how she was as a human. Her looks had been boringly ordinary, she hadn't gone out shopping or partying, choosing a more quiet and solitary lifestyle. She definitely wasn't expecting to be a Seeker, despite being drawn to them, or to be so, pretty. She definitely liked her new looks, and yet felt uncomfortably _visible_ now.

" **?You referred to your Master as designated Lore?** "

" **?Wait, Master? No, he claimed it as Mentor. Said I was compatible enough, that his Spark felt I would continue his mission. He gave me the choice to accept or decline,** " she watched the stunned emotions cross the CMO's faceplates, his EM field broadcasting his emotions clearly.

" **?Why would you agree to risk your life in that cavern? ?To speak such powerful Oaths no less?** " he demanded. She shifted a bit, irritated, opening her mouth to reply when his words sunk in.

' _Wait, how does he know about the Oaths? The only ones there were Lore, myself, and Pr…_ ' her Spark flinched. Looking at him, feeling her Spark clench in betrayal, she felt like someone had just punched her in her stomach. ' _Are they listening, right now? Or did he tell them?_ ' she wondered, becoming suspicious. " **?Why not?** " she asked quietly. The CMO froze, staring at her as his jaw clenched.

" **?Why not?** " he parroted, optics darkening, " **?Did you even think about the consequences to your actions?** " he berated, " **?How about your family? ?Do you know how difficult it was for Prime to contact your family to inform them of your death? !You did not hear them grieving for you! !Inconsiderate Sparkling!** " As he ranted, he didn't notice how still she had become, watching him intently.

" **?What would you have done, Medic?** " she asked quietly, interrupting his ranting. " **If someone told you that they had secrets that could potentially save or kill thousands of innocent lives. ?That they were dying, and needed your help? ?** _ **That they knew where the key to reviving an entire planet was?**_ " She stood eerily calm and still as he stared at her. For a long moment, she remained poised there, before shaking her helm and turning slightly away from him. " **I might not be the most out-spoken person, hell I've been called a wallflower and doormat most of my life. But I will** _ **never**_ **stand by and let an innocent get harmed.** " Giving him one last glance, she turned and walked slowly to the other side of the warehouse. " **Tell that to the others listening, and when they get the ball bearings to come talk to me themselves, perhaps we can continue this discussion,** " She dismissed him, sitting down and closing her optics sedately. She listened to him vent for a long moment before leaving, the door shutting loudly behind him, before what sounded like a lock being clicked into place. Her optics opened, looking up through one of the skylights. "I guess this is my prison now," Her Spark clenched, pain and betrayal swirling inside, before she vented and pushed the feelings aside.

' _You knew this would happen,_ ' she thought sadly, ' _You knew that you wouldn't be buddies with them. How could you be? They are fighting a war, they don't have time to play and entertain a human girl-turned-Cybertronian._ ' Knowing this didn't make her feel any better, so she did as she always did when she felt hurt and needed to hide it. Delving into the files, she began reading and memorizing everything Lore had left her, delving deeper and deeper, even accessing his memories and then his Mentor's memories, her Spark crying in pain even as she ignored it. ' _I won't be weak this time, this second chance of mine,_ ' There was a reason, after all, why she always believed herself more alike the Cons than the Bots. Revenge was sweet, and no one ever expected the quiet ones to be so vicious.

* * *

"Hello" = speaking

' _Hello_ ' = thoughts

" **Bold** " = spoken Common

Class Dialects:

(Not necessarily full sentences or even words, but more quick succession of glyphs and emotions used in their EM fields)

= _Hello-?How-are-you?_ = Scout-rapid-burst. Punctuation marks are pings before and after the burst, denoting a question or highly important burst. Double dashes are used to separate the rapid burst data.

=!Identify!= Warrior-burst. Spoken always as a barked order/demand. Gladiator-burst is similar except additional insulting and taunting, with vivid cursing.

=easy_safe = Medical-burst, soothing tones meant to calm agitated systems.

* * *

Chapter Five is done! Whoot Whoot! Read and enjoy!


	6. Ew! I birthed a human!

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 3/1/17

Published: 4/10/18

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

Chapter Warnings:cussing, human!bashing, up-close and personal meet with Cybertronian internals

Chapter Six: Ew! I birthed a human!

* * *

Previously:

' _You knew this would happen,_ ' she thought sadly, ' _You knew that you wouldn't be buddies with them. How could you be? They are fighting a war, they don't have time to play and entertain a human girl-turned-Cybertronian._ ' Knowing this didn't make her feel any better, so she did as she always did when she felt hurt and needed to hide it. Delving into the files, she began reading and memorizing everything Lore had left her, delving deeper and deeper, even accessing his memories and then his Mentor's memories, her Spark crying in pain even as she ignored it. ' _I won't be weak this time, this second chance of mine,_ ' There was a reason, after all, why she always believed herself more alike the Cons than the Bots. Revenge was sweet, and no one ever expected the quiet ones to be so vicious.

* * *

" **Ratchet,** "

" **!She's too slagging young to be forced to make that choice!** " the pissed CMO threw a piece of scrap metal against the wall of his Medbay, the Prime watching him with patient optics, not even flinching at the crash and squeal of metal. " **?!What kind of mech would put that kind of burden on someone so young?!** "

" **Do not forget, old friend, that she is grown in her society, that she is equivalently as old as, perhaps older, than Bumblebee.** " He reminded gently. The Medic paused, venting hard as he recalled the memories of a dearly loved Sparkling, who turned into such a loyal and caring Scout, despite the war they faced. He understood what Optimus was saying, and he understood _her_ reasoning as well. That didn't mean he liked it at all, though. His primary function was to keep his comrades healthy, slaggit! Seeing them constantly risking their lives and coming back damaged, if they even came back at all, was wearing him down. The way she had spoken, however, that was the reason why he was upset. She had _trusted_ him, and he had abused that trust, he had read her EM field as she turned away from him. The betrayal in her field had made his Spark cry out, but worse was the _pain_ and then _acceptance_. She had been hurt, betrayed, many times before, and he had just been yet another tally mark on her list, no, a _scar on her Spark_. It had been Prime's wise words that made him leave her, without attempting to speak or reach out to her again.

" _ **I might not be the most out-spoken person, hell I've been called a wallflower and doormat most of my life. But I will never stand by and let an innocent get harmed.**_ _"_ Her words rang through his processors, guilt and regret rising with each repetition. He would admit, that if put in her position, he wouldn't have hesitated to sacrifice his Spark to save his beloved Cybertron. However, he couldn't say with certainty that he would do what she did, for _Earth_. That was the main issue he agonized over. She gave up her life, her human life, for them. An alien race that had only given her pain, fear, and injury. Yet she chose to give it all up for them, and then to admit it calmly, while he had berated and belittled her for it. He knew without a doubt that if anyone had said what he had said to him, about such a personal sacrifice, he would have torn them to shreds, Medic or not. The fact that she let him say those things, that she accepted his words, accepted the pain he had dealt her, belittling a decision she had little choice in, showed just how mature she was. There were few he had met in his long vorns, very few Younglings indeed, that had shown such maturity in such a stressful moment. The one he was most proud of, his optics turned, stood in the very room he was in presently.

" **A natural leader,** " he muttered, setting his servos down on a berth and slumping forward.

" **?Pardon?** "

" **She reminds me of** _ **you**_ **, Orion,** " he snapped, watching the young Prime jerk back, optics shuttering in surprise. " **!Always taking burdens too heavy for you to carry, hiding away personal pain, accepting EVERY SLAGGING THING! !Capable of making the hard decisions, willing to sacrifice herself for others with no hesitation!** " He ranted.

The Prime vented quietly as his CMO went off on _him_ now, remaining quiet as he analyzed his words and the observations of the young femmeling now residing on base. He and the other Officers had not expected her keen insight, nor did it occur to them that it would feel like a betrayal of trust to the young one. Thinking through the interaction, however, he then added in the unpredictable variable that she had been _human._ For all she had known, they might have been discussing her throughout her entire examination, and after the fuss Ratchet had made at kicking out all of the mechs, the mixed signals no doubt had her questioning everything. She wouldn't have known that Ratchet had opened the Officer-burst right after her chassis had been fully closed, her privacy guaranteed. She also couldn't contain her EM field, nor would she know how to for quite some time, since it wasn't an ingrained behavior. He was amused, and slightly insulted, at her calm challenge, however. ' **Ball bearings indeed,** ' his lip-plates twitched slightly. He did not even have to look that up, having heard the soldiers tell each other to 'grow some balls' or 'get some brass balls' several times. Equating it to their own physiology, he supposed ball bearings constituted as an equivalent.

" **You are not even listening to me now,** " his optics looked up to meet Ratchet's amused ones. His Spark tickling slightly, a playful sensation rising. " **What were you just thinking about, you are smiling,** "

" **Nothing, old friend,** " he turned away, knowing that his CMO's curiosity wouldn't let that slide. Halfway out the door, he turned back, a smile dancing over his lips before his face-mask slid into place, his optics brightening in amusement, " **Balls,** " Smugly leaving the Medbay, he was halfway down the hall before Ratchet's boisterous laughter rang out. Even Primes needed to be immature at times.

* * *

Her anger had simmered down as she sat, going over the files. She was amazed and overwhelmed with all the information, barely making a dent in the literal database of information tucked securely away in her HUD. It was understandable, however, vorns' worth of memories and information had been passed down to her. ' _Twenty-seven Cybertronian lives,_ ' she mused, unable to fully comprehend just how long they had lived. Millions of years beyond her understanding. Thinking key words, or cyphers, had allowed her a brief glimpse into the sheer amount of data, so much in fact that she had to stop and take breaks, her processor aching as she read too much. She figured that most of the ancient knowledge could wait a bit, more pressing information like how her frame worked, and more important current issues, should be her priority.

' _The Autobots won't be much help,_ ' she vented softly, ' _I can't trust them fully, and I did promise to guard these secrets. There's no point in reviving Cybertron right now though, not without ending the war first, otherwise everything is going to happen all over again._ ' She felt depressed at that thought, her Spark pulsing with fear. ' _Prime knows I'm Descent-class, there is no way he's going to let me 'go off the radar' so to speak. Not only that, Ratchet also now knows that Lore had told me that he had the secret to restoring Cybertron. I guess that's the only regret I have, slipping that up,_ ' she groaned. She had held her temper, specifically so she _didn't_ slip up so stupidly. Her audials twitched, hearing something outside of her basic prison cell, drawing her attention from her thoughts. A soft click and small hinges squeaking; her wings rattled softly, her mood still low from the Medic's visit.

"Hello? Hey, um, girl! Uh, I think they called you a fem-bot or something?" A human voice called out. Her optics blinked, amused yet insulted at the same time. Looking around her, she noted that the random crates that had been put in the warehouse had practically given her a hiding spot, her darker coloration also masquerading her from human eyesight. Shoving herself to her pedes, the claws flexing and tapping against the concrete, she stepped into view of the soldier.

' _He doesn't look too old,_ ' she noted, helm tilting to the side as she examined him. His light blue-grey eyes brightened, a nervous smile dancing on his lips as he spotted her. His hand jerked up in a wave before he realized it, and hurriedly shoved it into his pocket. ' _He looks familiar,_ ' his dirty blonde-brown hair was tousled from wind or his helmet, and he was liberally streaked with dirt. Amused at his slightly bedraggled appearance, she crept closer before kneeling in front of him.

"Um, hi, um, Elly right?" he stammered. She dipped her helm, a soft smile spreading on her faceplates.

"That's me,"

"Oh, wow, um, you sound normalish, I mean, you sound like them, but you know, human too, I, err," Blinking, she mused as he continued to stumble.

' _My voice does kinda sound the same, with a mechanical overtone to it,_ ' Deciding to help him, if only to get to the point of his visit, she lightly prodded his shoulder, careful of the sharp tip. "Wassup?"

"Uh, oh! Sorry, I just, I'm your guard! Uh, for the night. I mean, it's my shift this time, and well, I wanted to say hi, so hi!"

"Hi, so what's your name then? Unless you want me to call you Mr. Guard, or Mr. Soldier-boy," she teased. He flushed a bit, rubbing at his head as he chuckled a bit.

"I'm Matt, Matt Stiles, uh, I don't know if you remember me, actually, we kinda met when you were still human," At this, her crest flared up, interested and intrigued as she got lower to stare at him with hyper-focused golden optics. He leaned slightly back, chuckling nervously, almost stepping back. Almost.

"You do look familiar," she frowned, examining him for a long moment, before it hit her, "Oh, oh! You're the one I," she paused, wings clamping down as she winced in sympathy. "I'm sorry, I hope I didn't hurt ya too badly,"

"Nah, just my pride, gave my teammates some material to rib me with, for the rest of my existence, but hey, no problem, you were kinda possessed by some weird Cyber-spark-soul thingy," he waved off. A soft giggle escaped her as she leaned back, sitting back comfortably.

"I am sorry though," she was sincere.

"Really, it's no problem, but uh, I gotta ask, what's it like? You know, being _one of them_?" he grabbed one of the chairs, pulling it closer as she leaned against one of the crates. Raising one servo, she twisted it back and forth, putting her thoughts in order.

"It feels, the same, really. I mean, my hands and legs feel normal, I will admit that the wings are weird, but everything _feels_ the same. Except I can, feel? Sense? The others' emotions. That's different," she paused thoughtfully. "Also, it feels like one of those virtual reality visor head gear things. I have readings and files popping up in front of my eyes, or along my periphery."

"Sounds annoying," he commented, sitting on the chair backwards. His chin rested on his arms, but his eyes were bright and alert, even as he slumped forward.

"It is, a bit, but they have so much interesting information, the Cybertronian cultures, languages, everything! It's just too much for one person to process." She mused aloud. "Trying to focus without accidentally activating a keyword is difficult. I can't really explain it, except when your computer gets a virus and all those pop-ups overwhelm your screen? It's like that." She saw him wince at that.

"Yeah, I ain't technical savvy, I've managed to kill two or three computers like that." He admitted, eyes darting away briefly. She smirked, unable to resist the opening.

"Yup, those porn sites get ya every time," she commented easily.

"Damn right, I mean, come on! I just wanted to jerk- uh," he froze, staring at her, his face turning bright red.

"Oh, you totally got caught," she nodded seriously, before laughing. As he stammered, trying to deny the truth, she nodded along, giggling, and waving off his weak excuses. "I won't tell, unless to gross out one of the mechs,"

"Oh c'mon! Girl ya killing me here!"

"You can't expect me to forget that bit of juicy information."

"Don't make me do something I'll regret!" he threatened weakly. She smirked, leaning down towards him.

"Ooooh, we have a big guy here, what'cha gonna do, pipsqueak?" she lightly flicked her finger at him. With a playful growl, he lunged, wrapping his arms around two of her fingers and wrestling them. "Oh no, I'm caught! I will not surrender, nor will I talk!" She wiggled her servo, amused as he let out a battle cry, before he _climbed_ up her arm. Her plating twitched, the feeling of hands and boots crawling up her arm to her shoulder was _weird_. Well aware of his presence, she froze in an attempt to not fling or jerk him off.

"Your armor is WAY too smooth and slick," he complained, fingers catching in seams as he pulled himself up. He noted with apprehension that her shoulders were also smooth, not at all bulky like the Autobots' shoulder guards. "I'm gonna slip and die," he grunted. Her optics flickered, before she grabbed him by the belt, lifting him up as he let out a startled scream, before raising him to her helm. The sensors on her helm flattened on top, allowing her to drop him down to sit behind a small chevron of smaller sensors, the larger audial ones framing his sides. "Whoa! SHIT! Give me some WARNING next time!" he complained.

"Fart or shit on me, and there won't BE a next time," she countered, feeling him shift around.

"This is fucking weird," he stated after a long moment.

"You're telling me," she carefully tilted her helm, feeling him wiggle his boots in between sensors before his hands found a grip without yanking painfully on them. After several moments, she was able to shrug off the odd sensation: it reminded her of a pet bird landing and moving around on her head. Pushing herself up, mindful of her passenger, she moved around absently, stretching her legs and wings. "So what's this warehouse for? I see a lot of dusty crates and shipping boxes." Walking to the door, she finally remembered that she had thrown a blade at one of the twins. Reaching out, she pulled the gleaming metal free, her right wing stretching out. The metal warmed under her fingers, her grip loosening until the blade slipped free. Instead of just dropping, however, it hummed lowly and floated, twisting and rotating into position until it interlocked with its dock point in her wing, the other feather blades rattling until it lay flat.

"Whoa, that was awesome," he stared for a moment before remembering she had asked him a question. "Pretty much just old storage," he shrugged, "Or rather, crap that the government sent, thinking the Bots could use it," he chuckled softly, though it was humorless. "We've had issues with the liaisons," he started, "The Bots ask for materials of a certain quality, and they get junk instead. It's irritating and frustrating. So they started ordering it from the companies themselves, they even started to work to pay for it themselves,"

"How do they pay for it?" she wondered, hiding her disgust with the liaisons. ' _Sounds typical of greedy, power-warped humans in authority,_ '

"Some of them do transport jobs, there's also surveillance jobs. I think they also do coding and programming jobs, under aliases of course, for computer companies. Um, Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Que have designed and gotten patents for green energy system designs, that they sold to companies and receive royalties from those. I know uh, what's his name, Smokescreen I think, I know he does the stock market, and he's really good at it. Also, technically, they do gamble, though it's usually for busting up gambling rings, and they help the police with that. Um, money-laundering rings too."

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that," she murmured, looking inside one of the crates. Tilting her helm, she eyed the obviously low-quality metal inside. Prodding it, she felt her servo tingle. Spreading her fingers, she hummed as her sensors suddenly scanned it, her HUD lighting up with the chemical makeup and possible uses and weaknesses of the metal compound. "You called this junk, right?" she questioned, several ideas floating around her helm.

"Pretty much, we haven't figured out what to do with it. The Bots went through it and pulled what they could use, but everything else is pretty useless. Why?"

"Curious if they wouldn't mind me going through it, or possibly use it," she shrugged.

"For what?"

"Dunno yet, but I think I could use this stuff for _something_ ," she tilted her helm, "Even if it's just to use as target practice. I think I can melt it down though,"

"I don't think they'll care, I mean, it's literally just been shoved in here and forgotten about basically. They didn't have anyone willing to buy it or anything." He watched, curious, as she started digging, pulling out random pieces and setting them to the side.

"Well, that's good enough for me, what's the saying? It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission?"

"Ha, I'd like to see one of the liaisons argue with you." Watching more and more junk appear as she shoved open crates out of the way, he winced at some of the stuff she pulled out. "Wow, junk gives this shit too much credit," he commented, seeing some things were coated in rust. "Is that even allowed near humans?"

"Doubtful, keep your hands out of the way," she lifted a large sheet metal, looking it over. "Huh, this one's actually in pretty good, err, never mind," flipping it around, she spotted the large crack that had obviously been what got it thrown with the junk. Scanning it, she added it to one of her growing piles. "I'm just being nosy, or curious, but is this the main base or what?"

"This is a temporary base, the CO is good friends with the General and JCS who run the NEST and Alliance, and Prime's become good friends with him as well. We use this base when we're in this area, but the main HQs are Diego Garcia and ARK-Co."

"Ark-Co?"

"Ah, right, well the Autobots' ship was named the ARK, and well when it crashed here, it was disabled. They've been repairing it and all, but it's stationary until then. The JCS added on the Co, for Coalition, and it's pretty much locked down tighter than Fort Knox and all the equivalents world-wide. You have to pass through at least seven screenings for security just to get permission to _know_ about it. Then there are even MORE screenings to get a glimpse of it, let alone get stationed there. They actually built a self-sustainable base/city around it, pretty cool in fact."

"Impressive," Elly whistled softly. Neglecting to continue asking her list of questions, she didn't want him to think she was spying or anything, she deigned to continue her sorting. He chatted idly on as she did, and she could vaguely hear the sleepiness in his voice, but she soon became engrossed in what she was doing. She didn't know what she was going to use all this stuff for yet, but she had a feeling that she'd find out soon. She could feel her Spark urging her towards this goal, whether it was simply to stave off boredom or for a more useful use of her time, was unclear at this point in time. Going through about five of the crates, she felt satisfied with the three piles she had accumulated.

"Alright, what do we got," she mused, picking through the piles. Blinking, she realized that Matt had been silent for quite a while, poking him gently, she snorted quietly when he sleepily muttered before snoring. Lifting a semi-reflective sheet metal up, she noted with a sigh that he was slumped over, snoozing contently with his arms wrapped around the chevron on her fore-helm. Another light poke got no response, except him cuddling closer. "I add drooling to the list of no-goes," she grumbled to him, before focusing back on the task at hand.

Picking through the junk, she read through the files popping up in her HUD, her helm tilting thoughtfully, as she became immersed in the images and instructions. Moving to the back with armfuls of her new medium, she cleared out a spot amongst the crates before fiddling with the items, her servos glowing softly as her protoform internally mixed enzyme compounds that began breaking down the materials. If Matt had been awake, he would have seen her claws clicking against each other, the junk dissolving as her fingers seemingly _weaved_ the changed metal compound into long living cables that snaked away, the ends glowing as Energon lit the internal circuits. The soft clicking of her claws brushing against each other, the repetitious movements were very similar to knitting or crocheting, she idly noticed, her optics dimming as she entered a sedate trance. She only paused in weaving the multiple cables to swipe another piece from the junk pile, the glow in her palms breaking the metals down, becoming absorbed, then the molecular structure being changed as it crawled up her fingers, to emerge as Cybillium strands.

She didn't worry or wonder how she knew to do this, the knowledge just took over and her consciousness seemed to step back. She knew, in a disconnected way, that Cybillium was a Cybertronian metal that was known for its flexibility and conductivity, as well as its solar absorption capabilities. Her optics flicked up, seeing the cables were indeed snaking up the back wall to slip out of the skylights. Connected to them, she knew the cables were splitting apart, forming solar panels that were as thin as spider webbing. More and more cables snaked up, winding around each other, thin wiring growing and interconnecting them tightly, before they began forming an almost organic woven seat. Slipping further into her trance, the information and basic blueprints she was following slowly pieced together.

' _Oh, I'm making an, Aerylith?_ ' she mused, images of the ancient Cybertronian sanctuaries being pulled forward as she absently accessed the files. Reading the information, still absentmindedly breaking down the junk metals and combining it with Cybillium, she couldn't help but be awed and fascinated. Aeryliths were a mostly Seeker-only sanctuary, a private area nestled deep inside their Aeries, used for multiple purposes but mostly for healing and recharging. The designs she was following, in particular, were used for colony Aeries, particularly for ones that orbited strong stars, to absorb the solar energy and convert it harmlessly into Energon. She dimly recalled how similar it was to the Nemesis's interior in the second Bay-verse movie, with the Fallen connected to one of the consoles, however the images flickering past her optics were different as well.

The Aerylith on board the Nemesis had been hastily constructed, and poorly maintained, even calling it one was an insult really. A true sanctuary would have been tended to, kept pristine and maintained, decorated, and held a comforting almost sacred air within it. As she noted the differences, she vaguely noted the decorative wiring forming organic weaves, shimmering with Energon, and lighting up with a soft blue bio-luminescence. Behind the forming console, she could see cables and wires steadily weaving together to form almost pods, the cables compressing and interlocking until the empty pods were secured to the wall, the front splitting open, ready for a core to be placed inside. Her claws paused and disconnected from the cables, kneading and adding some more junk metal into her palms, vaguely amused as the metals formed an almost clay-like putty. With a series of data-bursts from her servos, she watched the metal ripple, the nanites inside visibly re-shaping it as the Cybillium consumed the junk and grew more of itself. It built and compressed on itself, forming a tube-like container, before sealing.

The core in her servos, she noted, was of medium size, and initially would require several hours to charge up, before becoming useful. It was basically a slow-release, rechargeable battery, her human mentality identified, as she slipped it into the pod-slot, the bio-luminescent markings flashing as it started to slowly charge. If it were daylight, it would probably charge in two to three hours, however since it was night, it might take up to six hours. Having created six of the slots, her frame, starting to feel the strain, hurriedly formed five more cores, plugging them in before calling it a night. Mindful of the still snoozing human perched on her helm, she moved some of the crates to block her workspace before wandering back to the front of the warehouse, settling down against a crate and curling her wings lightly around her, arms wrapped around her knees. Optics flickering shut, Elly relaxed and slipped naturally into recharge for the first time.

* * *

Matt snorted, jerking awake and looking around for a long moment. Confused, he blinked his eyes several times to clear the sleep-crust, before realizing his seat was softly shifting. Looking down, seeing the metal plates lightly pinning him in place, he finally remembered where he was. ' _Well, I guess I WAS watching her, technically, since I never left her, and it looks like she didn't leave the warehouse,_ ' he scratched his head and yawned deeply before wiggling free. Climbing down was pretty easy, it seemed she knew he was moving and her frame automatically stilled to allow him small hand-grips.

His boots however, slid once he touched down on her shoulder, a startled yelp escaping as he slid down her chest and got caught between her drawn up knees. Wiggling, attempting to use his elbows, he only lightly tapped against her chassis, unknowingly alerting a subconscious protocol. A soft rumble made the plates against his back vibrate, a crooning purr before they parted and folded away. Another soft yelp escaped him as he tumbled back, falling into an almost metal-mesh cocoon, that was surprisingly padded and comfortable. A steady warm pulse echoed from his left, making his still sleepy mind become drowsy. Wiggling around a bit, pressing his back to that warm presence, he drifted off again, too warm and comfortable to panic. He failed to realize that it was almost time for him to report for his morning duties.

* * *

"Hey, where's Stiles? He ain't usually late,"

"I don't know man, he just took off after weapons training with Ironhide last night too."

"Didn't he say he had night-duty at the warehouse?" The group of soldiers instantly paused, sharing a glance. It had quickly gotten around that Ratchet had stormed out of the warehouse in a horrible mood, the cause being something the femme had said. Since most of the soldiers also weren't informed as to the specifics, they didn't know what exactly was going on with the new Bot.

"You don't think she's a Decepticon, do you?"

"Nah, Ironhide and the Terror Twins would have blasted and sliced her to pieces."

"Not necessarily, I mean, how many female Bots are there? I haven't seen any other ones other than that weird Arcee triplet-changer,"

"That is kind of creepy, three bodies, one Spark,"

"She's a helluva scout though,"

"Never mind Arcee, we need to find Stiles. You don't think she hurt him, do you?" the five soldiers paused, sharing a worried look, before alerting their CO. Making their way to the warehouse, unaware that their CO had contacted the other officers, they were alarmed when backup showed up just as they reached the doors. They were even more alarmed when the Terror Twins showed up, transforming with severe frowns and a hard glint in their optics.

"Yo Sides, you don't think she's hurt him, do you?"

"I do not know," the silver twin shook his helm, worried as he and Sunstreaker unlocked and yanked open the larger set of doors. They all spotted the curled up frame, the wings twitching as groggy golden optics blinked open, her helm rising at the loud noise. Startled and squinting at the dark silhouettes in the door, Elly could only fuzzily watch as the two, currently unrecognizable mechs, stormed inside and yanked her out. Letting out a screech, her sensitive optics slammed shut as the sun blinded her, the two yanking her forward more, ignoring her stumbling, to pull her completely outside and onto the hot asphalt.

Almost instantly, her HUD went haywire, readings bombarding her dizzy processor, and adding to the confusion in her mind. She vaguely realized the humans were calling out a name, the two mechs revving their engines as they spoke, but she couldn't focus on what they were saying. Information of all sorts was slamming into her, from atmospheric readings, to the human body count on the base, wind speed, the temperature, at least eight bio-signatures approaching at a fast rate, various vibrational readings that were becoming jumbled as she fought to understand and shut away the miscellaneous and unnecessary readings. She couldn't even _think,_ let alone straight, too focused on pushing aside more and more readings as her wings flared in her panic.

Servos grabbing her wings and yanking them closed only added to her panic, her Spark whirling in fear as alarm lit her HUD. Were they under attack? Did the Decepticons find out about her? Scrambling faster to focus through the jumble, she barely managed to identify the two mechs as Autobots, but was unable to identify them further as a new wave of readings overwhelmed her. The two EM fields surrounding her flared, annoyance and anger swamping her, no doubt from the incomprehensible words they were spitting at her, the aggressive and suspicious undertones only highlighting her distress. Another muffled shout from the side, before the EM fields calmed slightly, before lightly pinging against hers. Without realizing, she pinged back: confusion, distress, panic, overwhelmed, fear, too much, too much, _too much_! At her response, their EM fields stuttered, drawing back in confusion.

" **!You glitches! !Get her back inside! !She cannot handle the sensory overload!** " the shout barely pierced the confusion, the harsh servos suddenly becoming gentler, guiding her back towards the warehouse. Her wings clamped down tightly, trembling and rattling, the readings finally subsiding, as she was pressed into the side of the warehouse. Slumping over, understanding that the walls were muffling the overload of information, Elly finally was able to coherently assess the situation. " **Easy femmeling, easy, focus on my voice, you are safe, calm,** " Blinking her optics warily, squinting due to the brightness, she managed to slowly focus on his words, the Medic kneeling in front of her and holding his servo out to the gathering mechs.

" **?Wh-what?** "

" **The warehouse has a signal disrupter, it has been blocking most of your sensory network, to allow you to become used to your new frame easier. Once the twins pulled you out, they began to overload from too many readings.** "

" **?What's going on though? ?Why did they yank me out?** " her optics furrowed, confused, as well as a strange sensation in her chassis suddenly becoming apparent.

" **A soldier is missing, he was last seen reporting for guard duty here,** " Ratchet reached for her shoulders, helping her sit upright more, noting her servo pressing against the right side of her chassis.

" **?Wait, missing? ?Who?** " the sensation was getting stronger, she noted, no longer focusing on Ratchet, but on the odd movement. It felt like something was wiggling around inside her, she choked.

" **Matt Stiles Lieutenant did not report for his morning duties,** " he jerked back when she doubled over, clawing at her side.

" **!Oh god, get it out!** " she screeched, " **!There's something inside me! !Get it out!** "

" **!Ratchet!** "

" **!Scrap! !She is finally coming out of shock, grab her servos, she is going to sunder her armor!** "

" **!No, no, no, it's wiggling! !GET IT OUT!** " The twins grabbed her arms, pinning her flaring wings back as Ratchet reached for her chassis. To his utter shock, however, her plates parted, unfolding partway and with a jerk, Matt shrieked as he tumbled out head-first from _inside_ her. "WHAT THE FUCK! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET INSIDE ME!"

"He was, how you did…" Ratchet caught the soldier before he hit the ground, but was left stunned. The surrounding mechs shifted, startled, sharing confused looks.

"I fell, when she was asleep, I slid off her shoulder and got stuck between her knees and chest, and when I tried to wiggle out, her chest opened up and I fell inside," the sheepish human scratched the back of his head, laughing lightly as he stared up at Ratchet upside-down. Elly stared down at him, choking.

"Ew. I just, birthed a human. Oh my god, you better not have farted inside me! I need to be sanitized, I feel, gross," she slumped back.

"Hey, it was nice and comfy inside though! You even had a nice soothing pulsey thing," Matt sat up, looking at her. "I wasn't expecting the soft metal mesh padding, it was so soft it even felt like fabric,"

"I feel violated,"

"That would be one of her gestation chambers. It is padded for her sparklings' comfort and safety, and that 'soothing pulsey thing' was her Spark," Ratchet explained bemusedly.

"I think I have human cooties now,"

"Oh! Wow, I didn't know you guys could internally carry your babies, that's pretty wicked!"

"I swear, if I have to get a shot in my ass, I WILL squish you,"

"Indeed, it is far safer for them to be carried internally, and it enables them to latch onto our Energon feeds,"

"You aren't even listening to me, are you?"

"That's so cool Doc-bot,"

"Yep, no one's listening to me, fine then, I'm going back into my warehouse, screw y'all," Ratchet and Matt blinked, only noticing her departure after hearing her slam the doors shut, huffing at the snickering from the others.

* * *

"Hello" = speaking

'Hello' = thoughts

= _Hello_ = = com-links

[ _Hello_ ] = radio

~Hello~ = internal com

" **Bold** " = spoken Common

* * *

Class Dialects:

(Not necessarily full sentences or even words, but more quick succession of glyphs and emotions used in their EM fields)

= _Hello_?How-are-you?_ = Scout-rapid-burst. Punctuation marks are pings before and after the burst, denoting a question or highly important burst. Underscores are used to separate the rapid burst data.

=!Identify!= Warrior-burst. Spoken always as a barked order/demand. Gladiator-burst is similar except additional insulting and taunting, with vivid cursing.

=(easy, safe) = Medical-burst, soothing tones meant to calm agitated systems.

* * *

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Stay creative!

Firefly


	7. Projects, Energon, and

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 4/18/17

Published: 5/17/18

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

Chapter Warnings: Matt accidentally says a bad word, and nearly sets off five Mechs

Chapter Seven: Projects, Energon, and an Accidental Insult

* * *

Previously:

"You aren't even listening to me, are you?"

"That's so cool Doc-bot,"

"Yep, no one's listening to me, fine then, I'm going back into my warehouse, screw ya'll," Ratchet and Matt blinked, only noticing her departure after hearing her slam the doors shut, huffing at the snickering from the others.

* * *

' _Sensory overload, of course_ ,' Elly snorted. Safely tucked back inside her warehouse, both a prison and a sanctuary apparently, she restlessly paced as she recalled the various readings that had just bombarded her. ' _How do they do anything? If they constantly have all those readings slamming into them?_ ' she wondered. ' _They grew up with those readings, that's how. They have sensory filters or some sort of program or protocol. Like how humans train themselves to ignore ordinary background noises._ ' Five paces forward, claws tapping against the concrete, ' _I need to figure out how to control those readings, or I'll be stuck inside this warehouse for divinity knows how long,_ ' Wings perked up, feathers rattling with her confusion, turn, five more paces. ' _I already had my first taste of the legendary 'Sky Hunger' and definitely don't wanna feel that again,_ ' Claws flexed as her arms folded defensively across her chassis, tapping against her upper arms thoughtfully. ' _Not only that, but will I ever get the chance to leave this warehouse, let alone this base?_ ' Her wings shivered, feathers rattling louder as her Spark suddenly seized with fear and dread. ' _Can I ever see my family again?_ ' Panic rose, her five paces turning into three, hyper-focused golden optics turning white as her internal systems whined and revved, Energon pumping through her lines and increasing her distress.

= _ **Hello_ ?Okay?_!Do-not-be-scared!_?Wrong?**_ = She jerked, staring at the mech, his winglets perked up and trembling in distress. Bumblebee whined softly, seeing the young femme in such a state. = _ **!Ratchet! !Prime! !Something is wrong with her!**_ = he com-linked to the two.

= _ **Calm down and explain Bumblebee,**_ = the soothing tones of his Prime instantly soothed his Spark, his optics taking in her agitated state.

= _ **She is in a distressed state, her EM field is fluctuating with fear and dread, her plating is rattling, and her optics are hyper-focused,**_ = he listed off the visible signs.

= _ **?Scrap, you said her optics are hyper-focused? ?Are they bright or dimmed?**_ =

= _ **Bright, their color is bleaching into white,**_ =

= _ **On my way. Prime, I can handle this, I should have realized, no wonder she has yet to react to her situation.**_ =

= _ **?Explain?**_ = the CMO vented as he strode back towards the warehouse, hearing the query in both the mechs' tones.

= _ **Hyper-focused optics are a certain sign that her processors are overwhelmed with unnecessary readings, even with the signal disrupters in place. No doubt because of the extraneous information she received from the bio-conversion and becoming a Descent-class. She is literally drowning in her processors from memories and information obtained from her previous Masters, and from my observations, she comes from a very long collective,**_ =

= _ **Understood Ratchet,**_ = they could hear the weariness and worry in the Prime's tone, = _ **I have finalized my decision in recalling Smokescreen from his current mission. Mirage will take his place, and he will be reassigned to her case,**_ =

= _ **I doubt he will be able to assist her very much, he was born Cybertronian, not human,**_ =

= _ **We will attempt this before requesting human aid, it is difficult enough to withhold the true events from the untrustworthy as it is,**_ =

= _ **No arguments here, Optimus. Bumblebee, try and calm her down. You seem to have a knack for it,**_ =

= _ **Gladly,**_ = the Scout turned his attention back to the femme, noting that she had already slowly calmed slightly, just by watching his winglets. The conversation on their com-links took only a few human seconds, he knew, stepping quietly into the warehouse and lightly closing the door. He noted with a sad warble that her optics flickered to the door, wings flicking in distress, causing him to keep it slightly ajar. Moving closer to her, seeing her frame relax at the still open door, he trilled and flexed his EM field against her agitated one. = _ **Safe_Calm_I-am-here_Not-alone**_ =

= _ **Confused_ Afraid_ ?Confined?**_ = his helm tilted, bemused.

= _ **Not-a-prisoner_ Meant-to-keep-safe_ Never-confined**_ = he chirped, reassuringly. She wavered, wings dropping and rising, her fear slowly fading back, but the dread remained. He noted worriedly that her optics returned to their normal golden color, but were still hyper-focused, she was still struggling internally. = _ **Safe_?Trust-me?**_ = he extended his servo.

Elly's vents stuttered, optics locking on his innocently extended servo. ' _That's, the first time,_ ' she realized, "first time, anyone asked me that," she murmured, servo reaching out hesitantly. She heard his soft, sad churr, his baby blue optics widening before contracting, his fingers clenching closed for a moment before opening back up. Her fingers hovered over his for a moment before lightly touching his. His EM field wrapped around her, almost like a hug, she could feel his strength and reassurance, his calm clarity, Spark humming sedately. He felt secure, she noticed, secure in his surroundings, secure in knowing his comrades were around him, trusting them to guard his back. As her servo settled onto his completely, she realized that her Spark _needed_ this. Almost as if he heard that faint thought, he moved closer, holding her servo, before lightly touching her shoulder. Her wings fluttered against her sides, her Spark singing softly as he got closer. ' _Not sexual_ ,' she realized, ' _This is, how they embrace each other, a hug?_ ' She stepped closer, relaxing, leaning against his chassis. ' _Like I hugged Prime, my Spark needed to be close to another,_ ' her wings unfolded, lightly reaching out to hug his arms.

His Spark sung quietly, the reassuring tones purring softly against her, and she felt safe for the first time since she awoke. She felt his helm lightly touch against her shoulder, his chin resting against her armor. Leaning in closer, she mirrored him, tucking her face against his neck cables. It felt so natural, and surprisingly, it felt _normal_. He didn't feel _metallic_ , not to her touch, his armor lightly giving under the pressure of her touch, just like if they were human. Not as much flexibility or give, like organic flesh, but their metallic alloy was far softer that it would seem.

= _ **Safe-now_Not-alone_Spark-needs-contact_Acceptance**_ = she understood, and yet not. Just like with Prime, her Spark needed contact with another's, one whom was accepting of her. Bumblebee was offering simple comfort and companionship, Prime had offered security and acceptance, even Ratchet had given her Spark a sense of steadiness and acceptance while examining her. The touch of the twins had been hostile, therefore their contact hadn't helped. She understood their reasoning, they had been worried about Matt, and assumed she had harmed him. Humans may have been social creatures, but Cybertronians were more so. Simply being near another's EM field was usually enough contact that actual physical contact was not needed. Young Sparks, however, required physical contact, and her Spark was technically very young.

" **That is correct, femmeling,** " Her helm lifted, staring at the hovering CMO. She hadn't even heard him enter the warehouse.

" **?Huh?** " was her eloquent response. He softly chuckled as he walked slowly over, resting one servo on Bumblebee's shoulder.

" **You spoke out loud,** " he explained, lightly tapping the Scout's armor. She felt him shift, keeping her securely in his arms, cooing softly when her Spark pulsed a single ping of denial. Carefully, the CMO directed them into a more comfortable position. Bumblebee chirped softly as he settled on the floor, pulling her into his lap, and enabling Ratchet to face her. " **Easy femmeling,** "

" **I'm still mad at you,** " she protested weakly, shrinking back into Bumblebee's arms. She felt him laugh against her side, his servos petting her calmly as he maneuvered her wings over his left arm.

" **I am certain you are,** " the CMO answered, unconcerned. His optics locked with her own, however, " **But know that I am ashamed of my previous behavior. You did not deserve my scolding, and it was wrong of me to belittle your decision. As much as I dislike the circumstances that forced your servo, I am stunned and, I will admit, that I am honored, you decided to sacrifice yourself to save my home.** " Elly stared at him for a long moment, feeling Bumblebee's EM field pulse with surprise and shock.

' _That was, an apology? Ratchet actually, apologized? Is the world ending?_ ' she wondered. ' _Damn, now I gotta say something back, right?_ ' she mused for another moment, feeling Bumblebee squirm slightly underneath her. She noted Ratchet's EM field was also slightly uneasy, though it was purposely still, controlled. " **So it appears you grew some ball bearings after all.** " As soon as it left her mouth, she recoiled, slapping her servos over her mouth as her optics widened. She felt Bumblebee's engine hiccup, stall, then rev loudly as he shrieked with laughter, shaking her up and down with the movement. Ratchet's face was carefully neutral, though she was positive that his optics had blinked off for a few seconds.

" **I deserved that, I suppose,** " his voice was VERY carefully even, she noted, Spark pulsing with worry. " **I should have expected such a response, since you did warn us,** " he added on wryly. " **Moving on, femmeling, it appears I was remiss in my earlier exam.** "

" **?Huh?** "

" **Your optics are displaying ESO, or Extra-Sensory-Overload, meaning that your processors are easily overwhelmed with information. No doubt it is causing you distress and emotionally unbalancing you. It was negligent of myself to have not noticed, I had assumed your frame was still settling, however it should have passed by now unless there were complications.** " He explained holding out his servo. Elly eyed it for a long moment, before hesitantly placing her servo in his, with an encouraging chirp from Bumblebee. " **I regret that I abused your trust in me, femmeling, I guarantee that our com-links are offline, only the three of us are listening.** " She could feel his sincerity.

" **Okay,** "

" **By my understanding, humans do not communicate via data-bursts, therefore this will be a new experience for you. It will feel like a ping with a message attached. Do not accept data-bursts unless you know the sender, or have run protection protocols and programs on the information.** "

" **?Ah, so, like an** _email_ **?** " his optics flickered before focusing.

" **Indeed, just like an** _'email'_ " He turned her servo over, tapping her wrist. " **Humans also do not sync up, this is a hardline data-burst, much faster and stronger than a mere data-burst. For serious repair diagnostics, coding, and transference, hardline syncing is more common. For today, I will merely data-burst you a filter program. It should help you filter the extraneous and unnecessary data, enabling you to focus easily. ?Are you comprehending so far?** "

" **Yes,** "

" **Good, I will send the data-burst now,** " just after he finished speaking, she felt a soft ping, almost like a chime, before a small message appeared in her HUD. Opening it, she noted it had a Cybertronian time-stamp, Ratchet's bio-signature, and the glyphs representing his designation.

~ **New program: A/N** ~

~ **Affirmative,** ~

~ **Download: begin. Download: complete. Initiate program: A/N** ~

~ **Affirmative,** ~ Her optics dimmed, feeling like something was brushing against her helm with feathers. She could see her HUD clearing up, all the minimized files and folders being organized and 'locked' away until she actively searched for them. It took several long minutes, she noted, eying the Cybertronian time indicator in the corner of her HUD. Once the little icons had all been neatly put away, still feeling a soft hum against her helm, her optics brightened. Looking around, her vents stuttered softly. Whereas before, she would get readings from everything she looked at, now she stared at the wooden crate and that was it. She just stared at a wooden crate, no readings, no molecular structure, no confusing numbers or random statistics of whether each plank came from the same tree or not. Blinking slowly, she turned to the patiently waiting CMO. Staring at him, no information popped up, no readings, no class identification, merely staring at him, seeing his coloration and the lines and curves of his armor and frame.

" **?Well? ?Is it working?** " his tone was even and confident, and she understood why; he knew it was working, it was a simple filter program.

" **Wow, I'm not, it's gone, all the data, it's, gone,** " she murmured.

" **Not really gone, merely filtered out. If you focus on an object and send a query, it will reactivate your scans.** "

= _ **Scans-active_ ?Entire-time?**_ = Bumblebee whistled, optics whirling.

" **Yes, well, she did not know how to deactivate or filter them, Bumblebee,** " he muttered, fiddling with a panel on his arm. His optics looked up, scrutinizing her for a long moment. " **?Femmeling, tell me, how are you truly feeling? You cannot be 'fine' at the moment, without the extraneous data clouding your processors."**

" **?My feelings…?** " Elly glanced down, staring at her servos. "How am I feeling right now?" she wondered. Both mechs remained silent, observing her and understanding that she needed a few moments to herself. Elly stared blankly at her servos for a long moment, feeling numb. Feeling the seconds tick by like hours, she finally tried focusing on the night everything began. Recalling her exhaustion after work, to feeling her car stop at the light, then the sudden bright light as the Decepticon clipped her poor Batty. She felt her Spark lurch slightly, its pulse quickening as she remembered the blurry details. After a moment, however, the memories seemed to be brushed aside.

Instead, she keenly, and shamefully, recalled the feelings the CMO had made her feel less than a day ago. While feeling ashamed, getting scolded was never something she handled very well, she also recalled a key piece of information he had dropped. A bit of information she was now alarmed at finally understanding. " **?My family thinks I'm dead?** " her voice was hollow, she absently noted. She felt her Spark roiling in her chassis, feeling heavy. She didn't notice the looks the two mechs shared, their optics catching the sudden turn. Her bright coloration faded, turning dull, as her frame instinctively curled inwards, her armor constricting and flattening down.

" **Yes, femmeling, Prime informed them that you had offlined,** " the CMO's normally gruff tones held an undercurrent of awkwardness yet comfort.

" **?A closed-casket I assume?** " she murmured, numb as she truly began realizing the consequences to her decision. She faintly caught the CMO's optics dim, no doubt looking the phrase up on the Internet, before his sympathetic optics focused on her again.

" **No, your organic frame was buried,** " he denied. She nodded absently, before freezing, her optics narrowing as she jerked to look at him.

" **Wait, that's impossible, my organic body was integrated into Lore's frame. I** _ **felt**_ **my body break down** ," he looked back at her with a concerned and thoughtful expression.

" **While waiting for the convoy to arrive, the pod ejected your lifeless organic frame,** " he hesitated before projecting an image. Her optics flickered as her pod-form convalesced in front of them, followed by a panel opening and then ejecting a petite lifeless human body. Leaning closer, she stared at her body, but noted something very strange. While it might have passed their notice, she couldn't help but see there was something wrong with the image. The first thing that was amiss were her clothes: she was wearing her work clothes, not the clubbing clothes; also the fact that she wasn't wearing her splints, on her wrist or ankle. There were different injuries than what she had sustained, and none of them looked remotely healed like some of the smaller lacerations and bruising. Staring at the inconsistencies, it finally hit her. Lore hadn't just switched her Sparks from the parallel dimensions, he had somehow brought her other body through the tear as well. That was her body from the night of the accident. For a moment, she nearly blurted that out, before freezing. She had already let slip a hint of crucial information that she had sworn to protect, there was no way she could let slip that she was actually from another dimension, where the Autobots and Decepticons were an entertainment franchise. " **My apologies,** " the image refracted into light particles before disappearing, a troubled look on his face-plates. " **I should not have shown that disturbing image to you,** "

" **I've seen worse,** " she dismissed absently, the horrible memory of seeing Ratchet being brutally murdered at the beginning of the fourth movie suddenly flashing before her. His optics narrowed and focused on her even more, intrigued and slightly suspicious. She was tempted to tell him to Google one of the disturbing videos on the internet, but decided to be lenient and save his poor Spark that trauma. " **I told you, I traumatized myself by watching a woman give birth. Compare that to seeing a body lying still on the ground, and it's no brainer,** " she felt Bumblebee shake underneath her again. The scout's frame was warm, she noted, living metal was clearly superior than nonliving. " **?So now what? ?I'm stuck in this warehouse for the rest of my life?** " Bumblebee's sad churr vibrated through the armor on her side, his optics widening in surprise.

" **Of course not,** " the CMO rose with a low groan, his frame clicking and resettling. " **You will learn how to control your sensors, then how your new frame works, and then, you will find your place among us, like every other Youngling has,** "

" **Sounds a bit too optimistic,** " she muttered, ignoring Bumblebee's soft protest as she wiggled out of his arms. She helped him stand back up, but her optics remained downcast and didn't meet either one of them.

" **You will find your place, femmeling. If you have need, or questions, Prime and myself will not hesitate to assist you. I am certain Bumblebee will be glad to do such as well,** "

" _Damn right… little lady… you can count on me!... Choo, choo!_ " he played, shaking his fist up and down in imitation of pulling a horn. She couldn't help but snicker in amusement, even as Ratchet rolled his optics and moved sedately out of the doors.

" **Rest up, tomorrow I will be back with your Energon ration as well as your first lessons in sensory control,** "

" **?Why do I get the feeling that this isn't going to end well?** "

* * *

Bumblebee had left a bit later, he had been summoned to a debriefing and would be away on a mission for the next three days. Elly had wandered around the warehouse for a few minutes, peeked outside the cracked doors, before heading to her niche in the back. Staring at what she vaguely remembered starting, she hummed softly before sitting down comfortably and recalling the relaxing sensation. Thanks to Ratchet's filter program, she wasn't lost to the trance this time, instead, she watched avidly as her fingers and servos seemed to move in autopilot, returning to motions that were so familiar and yet not. Without even realizing it, Elly managed to copy two more of the chair-like consoles, their wiring and cables intertwining together and linking up. A quick check on the cores left her with mixed feelings. Clearly the technology she was instinctively re-creating would be beneficial to the Autobots, however, the fact that it was also Seeker and therefore Decepticon technology, made her leery of revealing it. The benefits to the Autobots outweighed the cons, so her Oaths weren't in any danger of being broken, just bent a bit.

It wasn't something that could be converted into weaponry, yet it was something that the humans would love to get their hands on, to reverse-engineer it since it was alien by nature. She wasn't certain how she was able to manipulate the metals like she did, or break down the human metals and convert them into Cybillium, but she certainly did not want to end up as a science experiment, by either humans or Cybertronians.

Taking a break from her impromptu project, she made herself busy by going through more of the crates; breaking those down ended up being a good stress reliever as well. Sorting through junk had always been soothing to her, she had enjoyed going to random thrift stores and digging through everything to find treasures hidden away. Sorting through the junk and forming different piles, based on their size and structure, she practiced reactivating and deactivating her scans. Might as well practice while she could. Once her piles had become more of a handicap in moving around, she returned to the main project, although her focus slipped to making more cores instead. The more cores, the better, since they were far more portable and overall important than the actual console seats.

Watching her servos manipulate the metals, instinctively coding the nanites within to hold a certain structure, eerily reminded her of the fourth movie with the KSI drones. While the metals didn't reform from cubes, it more swirled and glided around her servos like thick water. What came to mind was a mix of the cartoon Avatar's water-bending, Frozen's ice manipulation, and Reedman's transformation in the second movie. She did note that the designs were far more organic looking than the schematics that were tucked away in her memory files. Tiny bits and pieces popped out to her, reminding her of her own little tells and personal touches she added to her past projects. There were even some aesthetic components that had no functional purpose but had unconsciously emerged. Certain structures had taken on a different sheen, whether it was coppery, gold, or bronze, due to a chemical reaction as she broke the earth metals down. She had unconsciously mimicked it through all three consoles, and even added decorative rings around the cores in said colors, as an easy way to tell them apart.

With several more cores enthusiastically absorbing the solar energy, blinking and sparkling amidst the filigree wiring and cables, she returned to making more room within the back. Crates being opened, their contents sorted, then being broken down to add to the pile of lumber that she had no use for. By the time her frame felt exhaustion creeping up, the entire back wall had been cleared of crates, and four consoles were purring softly with nearly a dozen cores set around them, all within various states of charge. The two consoles in the middle were almost twice as large as the two on the outside, with the smaller ones actually set at an angle in the two corners. She had kept pushing the crates more towards the front, even piling some on top of each other, in order for the cleared space to remain open, since the cables had started to twine and creep over the floor like roots, linking each of the consoles together.

She didn't know what the Autobots' reactions were going to be, at seeing what she had started, but she hoped she wouldn't get into too much trouble. She had to keep busy, she knew she did, or else her new Seeker instincts, protocols, would slowly start going mad. Staring up through the skylights helped ease the uncomfortable twinge, and the fact that Bumblebee had left the door partially open had also helped with the restlessness. She really became content when the stars began emerging, her inspiration to continue working slowly dwindling away until she found herself sitting on a crate, helm craned back as she stared through one of the skylights, contently staring at the stars. She didn't even notice the human soldier settle a bit away from her, nor the Autobot guard outside the warehouse. Nor did she realize when she fell into recharge.

* * *

When she awoke the next morning, she knew something was off. Her systems seemed sluggish, an odd twinge in her joints, and her chassis felt uncomfortable. Slowly stretching her limbs seemed to help, a small glyph in her HUD appearing to draw her attention. Noting it, she mused it read almost like a low fuel gauge. Clicking on the icon, she found herself both correct and incorrect. Her systems needed Energon, but she also had an overcharge buildup in her wings. After a moment, the small symbol disappeared, her wings twitching suddenly. Feeling the intense need to go outside, she knew her Sky Hunger was rearing up. Movement was uncomfortable, her systems kept popping warnings about needing fuel, as an almost ache settled deep in her struts. Mentally counting, she mused that she literally hadn't eaten in almost three weeks. As though that were a summons, she heard a sharp rap on the door, before the familiar Medic walked in, purposefully leaving the door open.

" **Good morning,** "

" **Morning,** "

" **?How are you feeling today?** "

" **Very strange,** " at her words, he instantly scanned her, humming for a moment before he pulled out a cube of Energon.

" **You are low on Energon, here,** "

" **?How often do I need to refuel? I was fine the last two** _days_ ,"

" **Different frames require different consumption rates. Seekers tend to consume more Energon due to their flight abilities. As you have yet to take flight, however, you are at a comparable rate of myself,** " he handed the cube over, absently showing her how to open the seal, before encouraging her to swallow the fuel. " **Due to our circumstances,** **I usually only refuel two or three times a** _human_ **cycle, depending upon the Energon on hand. Different types of Energon will affect your systems differently, in fact, there may even be types you cannot tolerate.** " Staring at the shimmering pink _stuff_ inside the cube, Elly tilted her helm thoughtfully. It wasn't quite liquid, perhaps a thick liquid but not quite a gel, with specks of floating metal flakes suspended inside. Tilting it, feeling Ratchet's amused gaze on her, she hesitantly sipped at it. At first it felt odd, an almost thick syrup rolling in her mouth, staying together as a glob on her glossa, before it suddenly seemed to melt. Seconds after it melted, her mouth tingled, almost like she had licked a penny, and the now liquid fuel turned ice cold before she swallowed. The taste was interesting, the liquid itself seemed to only have a slightly sweet taste, while the metal flakes that had dissolved against her glossa had varying flavors.

" **Wow,** " she stared at the cube in surprise, barely noticing Ratchet's soft chuckle.

" **Finish that cube, femmeling. ?Unless you do not want to go outside?** " Her optics shot up, staring at him in shock and surprise before she hurriedly swallowed the rest, savoring the odd yet pleasant aftertaste.

" **?What about the sensory blocks? ?How can I go outside without being overwhelmed again?** " she followed him as she asked, pausing when he lifted a small device in his palm.

" **This is a smaller sensory block; it will not block as much, however, it should help you adjust rather than keeping you locked up all the time.** " With nimble fingers, the small box-like device was magnetized to the back of her shoulders and neck, for a moment it felt odd, before the soft hum became negligible to her audials, allowing her to relax. That done, he tilted his helm, looking outside for a moment as his optics dimmed before nodding his helm sharply and stepping out. She watched him take a few steps outside before turning back and beckoning to her. " **There are certain times of the day and night where we are able to move around in bipedal mode, thanks to the force-fields Wheeljack, Que, and Perceptor have built. Come on out, it is safe.** " Tilting her helm, her wings nervously shuffled before clamping down tight as she took a couple steps outside. Her helm rotated, the feather-like sensors instinctively flaring into a crest, as she took in her surroundings for the first time. She wasn't counting the previous two times she had been outside, simply because she didn't really remember anything but blinding sensations and being overwhelmed with everything.

Her warehouse was set a distance from the others, facing into a large expanse of asphalt, with several warehouses across and to the right. To the left was a large building, she assumed formed the offices and meeting rooms, perhaps even the human barracks. Past it she could vaguely see the hangars and lanes for the incoming and outgoing planes. Another open hangar to the left but further from the human building, had several mechs moving around and inside. Squinting her optics, she could make out what looked to be a cargo elevator inside. Returning her attention to the Medic, she took a few more hesitant steps out, her wings instinctively arching as a breeze suddenly swept past. Around five steps from the warehouse, she felt her sensors suddenly perk up, a list of readings forming in her periphery, which Ratchet's filter program instantly began sorting and categorizing. Pausing to read a few of the statistics: the temperature, wind speed, and nearest bio-sigs as well as human heat signatures, she let her optics wander to confirm what they told her. To her left were three mechs in alt mode, just within visual sight, seemingly sunbathing outside of the human building. A tilt of her helm and she could vaguely sense the buzz of com-links between them. Across the tarmac and to the right were three groups of soldiers, bantering between the three units, one soldier in particular caught her attention. Moving closer to the waiting Medic, her optics locked on her soldier friend, his unique human biological 'scent' bringing up a simple profile she had unconsciously created with his photo, name, and status as a new friend. Almost as though he knew she had spotted him, he turned, blue-gray eyes blinking before a bright grin flashed across his face.

"THERE'S MY FAVORITE FEM-BOT!" he yelled cheerfully, waving energetically. His soldier friends turned, whistling, even as Ratchet froze, optics widening, and the other three mechs became very, very still. Matt, unaware of the sudden tension, practically ran across the tarmac, only to bend over, panting, with his hands on his knees.

"Matt Stiles Lieutenant," Ratchet's voice was very carefully controlled, Elly noted, before she stepped forward, placing a servo on his shoulder.

"Oi, Pipsqueak, fem-bot is an insult, and really shouldn't be used," she corrected, crouching down and placing her elbows on her thighs, smirking down at him. His head shot up, surprised, before apologies spilled from his lips. She felt Ratchet's EM field calm, his frame relaxing at the misunderstanding, and a quick com-link calmed the other mechs from where they had started to creep closer. "Calm down, dude, it's like calling a respectable woman a broad or, well, the c-word, actually. The proper term is femme,"

"Sorry, my bad, uh, please don't squish me," Matt edged a bit closer to her, having seen the slight scowl on the Medic's facial-plates.

"Your ignorance is forgiven, Matt Stiles Lieutenant," he dipped his helm, venting softly, optics glancing over at her for a moment. A glimmer of an idea seemed to form in his processors, which made Elly leery, but before he could say or do anything, the other soldiers had joined them.

"Geez dude, way to insult our alien allies," one, a tall African American, slapped Matt's back, making the smaller soldier wince.

"Wow, he wasn't kidding though, I mean she is really pretty," another piped up, winking at her.

"Oi! Keep your eyes off my girl! Err, femme!" Matt growled playfully. Which instantly caused a friendly brawl to take place. Elly watched with amused optics as her soldier-buddy got tackled and then dog-piled on by at least three others, laughing and choking as each got hit and kicked. After a few moments of him becoming a human pancake, she reached down, scruffed his vest, and jerked him free of the others before plopping him into his spot on her helm. As the others continued to tease, he bantered back from the high ground. The entire time, the watching Cybertronians observed with amusement and tolerance.

"As entertaining as this spectacle is, we have limited time to conduct the brief walk and you still need to practice," Ratchet interrupted after a few more minutes.

"Can I come, Doc-bot, please, please, please?"

"My designation is Ratchet, not Doc-bot," the CMO gruffed.

" **It's a nickname, humans tend to do that a lot. A term of affection if you will,** " Elly murmured, making the soldiers perk up. The Autobots didn't often lapse into Common around them, or quickly realized and returned to speaking English or whatever language the humans in question usually spoke. It had become a bet to see if anyone could learn to interpret some of the spoken words, a bet that had been met with failure so far. His optics flickered to her, the annoyance fading into contemplation. " **Doctors are known for their extensive training and schooling, it is a form of respect that they are referred to as such. You are the CMO, they are giving you the respect you deserve while also giving you the affection a comrade receives,** " Her explanation seemed to calm him, as well as make him even more thoughtful.

"Very well," he rolled his optics, making most of them snicker, adding: "You may continue to refer to me by that, 'nickname' nonsense,"

"So does that mean we can call you…"

"No," he interrupted, glowering at the grinning soldiers, "I retract my previous statement, refer to me by my designation Ratchet, nothing else," with that, he turned and stormed a few steps away. Elly watched, amused, at his slight temper tantrum.

"Oi, Angel, let's go! Doc-bot is leaving us behind!" She winced as she felt a tap against a sensor, before a snort escaped her.

"Angel? I ain't no angel," she argued, straightening up. Without even realizing it, her wing arched and extended a bit, shading the soldiers from the sun.

"Oh, c'mon! You need a proper designation!" Matt insisted, "And in case you haven't looked at yourself in the mirror, you definitely look like an angel!"

"Agreed!"

"Hell yeah,"

"Pretty femme, it suits her!"

"Our own Angel, sent from the Heavens!" the others chorused, cheering. Before she could protest further, she saw several of them text and radio others.

" **It appears you have received your first designation,** " Ratchet's amused call made her huff and start towards him, the gaggle of humans following underneath her like ducklings, " **?As well as gathered a following of, what do you call them?** _Fans?_ "

" **Shut up,** " her pout was easily felt in her extended EM field, making his field ripple in amusement against her.

* * *

" **Common** ," = Spoken Common

" _Italics_ ," = thoughts (or human words spoken with Common sentences)

* * *

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Stay creative!

Firefly


	8. Let the Psychoanalyzing Begin

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 6/6/17

Published:7/7/17

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

* * *

Chapter Warnings: Um, nothing really? EDIT: I edited this chapter! There is now more info regarding EM field interaction!

* * *

Chapter Eight: Let the Psychoanalyzing Begin

* * *

Previously:

" **It appears you have received your first designation,** " Ratchet's amused call made her huff and start towards him, the gaggle of humans following underneath her like ducklings, " **?As well as gathered a following of, what do you call them?** _Fans?_ "

" **Shut up,** " her pout was easily felt in her extended EM field, making his field ripple in amusement against her.

* * *

Her 'duckling' soldiers eventually dispersed, calling out goodbyes and giving friendly waves as they took off to complete their errands and duties. Matt took all the credit in 'spreading her good name and word' throughout the ranks. Apparently he had friends in several different areas of the base, which had helped ease the tension from the previous day, especially when he retold the story of how freaked out she was at him somehow managing to get inside her. Ratchet had silently chuckled at the annoyance and consternation in her EM field, but he noted she didn't mention or act like it to him. Tilting his helm, he felt he understood her a bit better than previously. She hid her negative emotions very well, keeping a placid and open composure, refusing to let her temper rise. While that was admirable in certain situations, like dealing with afts like Galloway, he didn't believe that it was mentally healthy to do so at all times. She seemed to have formed an easy link with Bumblebee, however, which gave him the hope that she would connect easily to others.

He did recall her defensiveness towards the twins, however, which caused his processors to circle back to the main issue. When Prime had reluctantly suggested the theory that she was a Descent-class, it had alarmed him. Like Jolt had mentioned, they were a very rare class, even borderline mythical, to the point where the average mech or femme had no knowledge of them. The only reason he had any knowledge of them, firstly, was due to his longevity, and secondly, because he had come across the theory of them while doing extensive research in the Archives. Prime had the most information on the class, but he was remaining reluctant to explain or describe any of the theories he held. Instead, he had chosen to bring Smokescreen in first, to do an evaluation on the femmeling, before any information would be released. While it was irritating, the CMO understood his reasons. All they had were theories and partial tidbits, scraps really, of information. The little they did know, however, was alarming.

Descent-classes were highly volatile, and very aggressive, if pushed in various sorts of ways. From Prime's recollection, the Oaths she had spoken indicated that she held information that she had to protect and guard. One of the reasons why it was a standing order, a Prime Directive in fact, that none of the mechs question or interact with her in any sort of aggressive way. While he desperately wanted to, Ratchet couldn't question the slipped remark she had made, about knowing how to save Cybertron. It was also why he had not lingered too long on questioning her feelings about the current situation. He did not want to accidentally activate a violent reaction if he pressed too quickly. They were extremely lucky that she had been too disoriented from the sensory overload to attack the twins after yesterday's misunderstanding.

Observing her, however, led to him believing that she wouldn't react with violence as a first defense, but more as a last resort. That did not mean she was incapable of it, as she had shown when she had thrown one of the disguised blades at Sunstreaker. Which was alarming on its own, since his scans had indicated her weapons had been _locked down_. If she could bypass a locked weapons system in less than a nano-klik, then she was very, very dangerous, since only Weapon Specialists had the coding necessary to do so, and the discipline to utilize it. Yet she was extremely gentle and patient with the soldiers, his optics had nearly glitched when she had scruffed Matt Stiles Lieutenant from the pile and dropped him onto her helm. The ease of those actions had certainly made him, Jolt, Dino, and Smokescreen take a few kliks to comprehend. Speaking of.

= _ **She is adjusting quite well to her new situation,**_ = Smokescreen's easy voice spoke over the four-way com-link.

= _ **I am surprised at how well she is moving, far better than a Sparkling or Youngling,**_ = Jolt piped in.

= _ **She is fully mature by her previous species' standard. No doubt she did not fight her new frame, and went with her organic instincts, at least in regards to movement. How she reacts to her transformation ability is still unknown.**_ = Ratchet theorized.

= _ **Eh, she still a beaut' though**_ _,_ =

= _ **!She may be mature by human standards, but she is barely a youngling in our standards, Dino, so do not even let the thought cross your processors of courting her!**_ =

= _ **Easy Ratchet, you are letting your overprotective side show again,**_ = the laid-back Praxian snickered.

= _ **Just sayin' Ratchet, that ainot the frame of a younglin'**_ = the speed-class saboteur pointed out. Before Ratchet could retort, Jolt interrupted.

= _ **He is correct, Ratchet. You cannot prevent any mech or femme from flirting with what appears to be a fully mature framed Bot. Unless you are willing to break Prime's order and tell them all that she was originally organic**_ _,_ = he pointed out. The CMO vented heavily, internally grousing, but admitting defeat.

"That irritating huh? Which one, the red mech, the silver-blue mech, or the red and blue mech?" his optics widened as he jerked to look at her nonchalant look. Her helm tilted just the slightest, indicating her curiosity but aware of the human still perched on her helm.

"How did you know?"

"There's a buzzing in my helm," she shrugged carefully, "It's centered and, connected? Around the four of you. I figure you were communicating somehow, with, a com-link?" she hazarded. His optics blinked in surprise before he retained his normal neutral expression.

"Interesting, then again, being a Seeker, you have more sensors than a grounder." He murmured, ignoring the snickers from the three mechs.

"Are they guards?" her question knocked him out of his thoughts, again.

"Guards?"

"They're following us," she pointed out slowly, slightly rolling her optics.

"They are merely here for extra security," he evaded. Her optics flickered just the slightest, her EM field drawing back slightly. "You did throw a blade at Sunstreaker," he reminded, with a soft laughing tone in his voice, his EM field fluttering teasingly against her. She chuffed a vent, crossing her arms over her chassis, but her field relaxed back, flickering unconsciously against his.

"I knew that was gonna come back to bite my ass,"

"Language," he corrected automatically, gaining a disbelieving look.

"Anyway," she waved him off, "If they ain't perverts, they don't have to stalk us so far, AND BE INCREDIBLY OBVIOUS ABOUT IT," she had raised her voice, loud enough for them to clearly hear her. She noticed that the red mech, Dino, she identified as he transformed, immediately moved to join them. The silver-blue mech hesitated for several moments, obviously conferring with the others, due to the buzzing, before he too joined, transforming and identifying himself as Jolt. The third mech remained a bit away, content to follow along behind.

"Didn' properly introduce mahself, lil fem," Dino gestured to his chassis, offering a sort of half bow. "Designa'ion Dino," her helm tilted at the soft ping. His bio-sig, designation, and class formed a personal file in her HUD, her scans activating and then deactivating easily.

"I am Jolt," the Communications Tech bowed his helm, also gesturing to his chassis, his servo curling from his palm facing down and being parallel to the ground, to twist so his palm was facing the sky as he brought it back. Her HUD instantly identified it as a standard greeting, like a handshake, amongst different classed mechs and femmes. She mimicked him, not noticing the intrigued glance shared between Ratchet and the forth mech.

"I am-,"

"ANGEL!" Matt interrupted, grinning and waving to the mechs when they looked up at him.

"I am not-,"

"Yes you are,"

"Not even close-,"

"La, la, la, I can't hear you,"

"Pick another name, Pipsqueak, I am NOT being called-,"

"Her designation is Angel, the soldiers have all spoken and agreed," Ratchet informed the listening mechs, ignoring her sputtering and Matt's cheers.

"Will y'all stop interrupting me!" they all looked at her oddly, remaining silent for a moment. "Great, now I look like an idiot,"

"Nah lil fem, ya gorgeous," Dino flirted, winking one optic. As she gave him an unimpressed look, she felt Matt tense up.

"Oi! Keep your eyes, or optics, or whatever, off my femme!"

"Oh, have ya laid claim to 'er then, lil man?" Dino chuckled, giving him a flat and slightly aggressive look, despite this, his field was laughing and rolling with amusement.

"Dino!" Jolt's appalled look, and pointed stern EM prod, made him ease back.

"Damn right!"

"Language," her optics flickered to Ratchet's tolerant and bored tone.

"Oh really?" the red mech purred, stepping closer, optics locked on him. Her wings aggressively flared, ending their debate as she stepped back, the blades singing as they clicked against each other. Her EM field flickered, a warning, _too close!_

"Enough! I am not your femme, nor am I yours, and back away from MY squishy!" her voice rang sharply out, silencing the mechs and human. Her servos planted on her hips, optics narrowing at the saboteur.

"Ha! Told you so- ack!" Matt yelped when she plucked him from her helm, dropping him into a startled Jolt's servo.

"What did I just say?" he pouted at the scolding tone. "Didn't we have lessons to get to?" Her wings arched up defensively as she turned to Ratchet, uneasiness flickering in her field, and causing the mechs to respectfully draw further back.

"Indeed,"

"It was nice to meet you Jolt, unknown mech, Dino," she stepped back and walked a bit away from them before following the CMO. She heard them chorus a goodbye, but the sound of tires behind had her glance to see the forth mech following them.

" **His designation is Smokescreen, he would like to speak to you,** " Ratchet explained as they walked towards a more secluded part of base. She noted they had walked past and behind the human building, and were close to the back of the open hangar the other mechs were milling around. The sound of a transformation made her turn, watching the mech take on his bipedal form with a relieved groan. Her crest fluffed a bit, still annoyed at the male display she had to break up. Looking over the red and blue mech, it took a few moments to remember what little she knew of him. " **Smokescreen is what the humans call a psychologist. Prime felt you would benefit from his help,** " Ratchet explained. Her helm tilted as she watched the new mech stretch his frame, clearly enjoying being out of alt mode. His gentle light blue optics remained locked on her, however, intelligence glittered within the depths as he observed her right back.

" **I see, so you were psychoanalyzing me back there,** " she stated, mildly disconcerted when his only reaction was a slow grin. Even his EM field was still, controlled, something she noticed only after feeling the brushes from Ratchet and Dino.

"Indeed I was. You are pretty good at keeping to yourself, are you not?" his easy tones held a calming effect. "You prefer small groups rather than being in a large crowd, yet you were willing to invite us over, perhaps because you were uncomfortable with our 'stalking' as you put it?"

" **Maybe,** "

"Aw, see Ratch, now she has her guard up. This will make my job harder," he kept the grin on his facial-plates as he walked a slow circle around her, noting the arched wings and flared armor-plates. **_'I do love a good challenge, though. It is curious, however, how she reacted to Dino.'  
_**

" **Humph, you are the one who is always complaining about being able to read mechs too easily. ?You did want a challenge, correct?** " the CMO snipped back, observing the two. Elly didn't really know what to think, or do, her wings clamping tight when he moved behind her, relaxing slightly when he kept his slow steady pace.

"From what I have observed, she is doing very well. Her movements are loose and natural, she has not attempted to fly off yet, which could be a problem, considering she is a Seeker," he started listing, keeping the steady circle. He noted her helm still followed him, though she wasn't tensing her frame or trying to twist to keep him within visual sight. Instead, her audials and crest were flaring and triangulating his position, which is why he kept the pace steady. He did not want to alarm her, and if this helped her understand her new sensors, then it was excellent practice for her. "Sensors are working well, she is not shying away from her wings," he pointed out, "She is rather calm for being surrounded by alien autonomous lifeforms," he joked. Her helm twitched, Ratchet's vents hitching slightly, causing his grin to falter. "Wait, you mean you have not given her the introductory lecture you are famous for?"

" **No, the past few cycles have been one event after another.** " The CMO eyed her warily. Stepping forward a bit, he caught her attention, though noted her sensors were still keyed to the pacing mech. " **We are autonomous alien lifeforms from the planet Cybertron,** " he started. As he began explaining, very similarly to Prime's speech in the first movie, Elly felt her HUD light up. As he mentioned designations, and parts of the war, different files popped up as acting verbal cyphers. She found memory images of the various places he spoke of, a profile of the high ranked Autobot and Decepticon forces, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

"Right there," Smokescreen interrupted, pausing in front of her. "What came to your processors?"

" **?What?** "

"Your optics dimmed and flickered, you were accessing memory or internal files. What came up as Ratchet was speaking?"

" **?Um, images of Cybertron?** " she hedged, " **?As well as profiles of Autobots and, Decepticons?** "

"Profiles?"

" **Yeah, there is an image of them, their designation, rank within their faction, and a list of their weaknesses and strengths,** " she summarized briefly. Both mechs shared an assessing look, making her worry.

"Interesting,"

" **?Hmm?** **?What is that supposed to mean?** " Smokescreen gave her a lazy smile, waving off his comment.

"I just think it is interesting, that you would have such detailed profiles about Autobots and Decepticons, since Descent-classes try to avoid getting involved in things like that," he shrugged, nonchalant, making her optics narrow. Of all the mechs she had seen, he used the most human mannerisms and behaviors.

" _Or he is purposefully using them, to keep me relaxed,_ " her crest flared at the thought, her wings arching low and spreading in a clearly uncomfortable display. " _He also kept speaking in English, while Ratchet and I spoke Common, wait, why am I speaking Common so easily?_ "

"See, Ratchet, now she is suspicious of me again," he chuckled, though there was a hard glint in his optics that was very well hidden. = _ **She is hiding something, she has not spoken the whole truth,**_ =

= _ **I cannot blame her, considering her circumstances. I have already betrayed her trust. I doubt she would be keen to offer it freely again,**_ =

= _ **?True, however how are we supposed to assist her without pushing her, or reaching out and pressing the boundaries?**_ =

= _ **I disagree with your plan, Smokescreen, agitating her like this is very close to breaking Prime's Directive,**_ =

= _ **Not breaking, merely skirting and possibly bending it. ?Or would you rather I called Ironhide now?**_ =

= _ **After their last interaction, I doubt that she would be very keen on being around him either,**_ =

"Is there a reason why you both are speaking in different languages?" she asked, purposefully in English.

= _ **Ah, she caught us,**_ =

= _ **I told you, that I did not approve of your plan. Your attempts to confuse her seem to have failed,**_ =

"I was hoping to see how your processors were coping. You kept speaking Common between the three of us, while you reverted to English instantaneously around the humans. While I see no problems in your ability to speak both, I do find it curious that you are able to flawlessly slip between the two."

"Most likely because I'm kinda bilingual?" she offered, making both of them pause.

"Bilingual?"

"It means I speak more than one language," she defined, tapping her claws against her hips absently as she set her servos against them. Lighter blue optics noted the tic, Smokescreen's helm tilted slightly in thought.

"We were unaware of that, although that makes sense, considering how many different languages there are here on Earth,"

" **?Out of curiosity, how many languages do you speak?** " Ratchet questioned. Her golden optics blinked twice, surprised at the question before she shrugged delicately, her EM field wavering with a touch of confusion and wariness.

"English is my first language, I know a lot of Hispanic-Spanish, enough to get by in a conversation at least, a few phrases of Japanese, nearly fluent in ASL, and multiple curse words in Japanese, Spanish, and ASL," the two mechs snorted softly, amused. Younglings would be younglings, after all. Smokescreen did note, however, that she did not include the Dialects from her Masters.

" **Of course, cursing is the most important part of learning a new language,** " Ratchet drawled, making Elly stifle a giggle at the dry tone. With her focus on the CMO, Smokescreen called Jolt back over, without the flirtatious saboteur this time.

' _ **She had not reacted favorably towards his courting, however brief and playful it was. ? I wonder if it is because he is a mech or because she is uncomfortable with any sort of favorable attention?'**_ the Praxian mused, noting that she had relaxed again, listening to Ratchet explain the war a bit more. ' _ **Very interesting, when she is not the center of conversation, she relaxes easily, however when the attention is on her, or her personality, then she becomes guarded. Ah yes, she had called herself a '**_ wallflower _ **' according to Ratch. By human definition, that makes her less out-going. Which also explains why she connected to Bumblebee so easily, yet was defensive to Dino and the twins. Yes, I should wait on Ironhide, at least for the moment, but Jolt should be safe. He is also an introvert, after all.'**_ His optics flickered, nodding his helm to the younger mech as he approached. Their fields meshed briefly in greeting, the elder sending a pulse of calm assurance to the younger.

= **?You called again?** = Jolt wasn't particularly certain what his part in Smokescreen's plan was. While sitting outside, waiting for Ratchet to escort the femme out of the warehouse, the Praxian had simply asked them to interact with her, like they would another femme. He wanted to observe her and how she reacted to their presence. Jolt, having seen the varied displays she had shown previously, was slightly wary, but he had felt no hostility towards her, or she to him. Her focus had been primarily on the twins and Ironhide, thankfully, as well as Ratchet, which had enabled him the chance to observe her. He was very curious as to how she was able to speak so many varied Dialects, and unfortunately, Prime had locked down the few files they had about Descent-classes, after Ratchet had confirmed it. Taking the polite, formal interaction of different classes, meeting together, seemed to be his best option. He only hoped that the Praxian wasn't disappointed in his choice, versus a more casual conversation.

"You did not seem to enjoy Dino's presence, earlier, I hope you do not mind Jolt," the Communications technician felt his frame tense, as Smokescreen brought her attention to his arrival. Her golden optics glanced at him, assessing his relatively relaxed frame, before giving him a formal nod and the standard greeting once again. Oddly, her field did not reach out with her greeting, however it mingled gently against his when his reached out. He shrugged off the anomaly, owing it to her organic origin. He felt his armor relax a bit at that, she clearly was not interested in having a casual interaction with him at the moment, which would allow him to continue to observe her quietly. = **Speak Common to her, I am observing her verbal communications at the moment, and will be speaking '** English **' while you and Ratch speak Common,** =

= **Understandable,** = he agreed to the odd yet simple request, " **I apologize for Dino's behavior earlier, he cannot help himself from flirting with pretty bots,** " he bowed his helm, embarrassed at his friend's deplorable behavior, yet accustomed to it. He had often had to mediate between his out-going friend and others, the apology slipping out automatically. Her optics focused on him again, a bemused expression on her face. He noted, with concern, however, that her optics were hyper-focusing, his optics darting to the others. = **?Were you aware of her hyper-focused optics?** =

" **You don't need to apologize for his actions,** " she dismissed his apology, her optics and EM field pulsing calm and warmth, proof that she held no ill will towards him. At his com, however, Ratchet moved forward, clicking in thought. Smokescreen's optics narrowed, taking notice of what the youngest mech had seen, even as the CMO gently turned her startled helm to face him.

" **Scrap, I thought my filter program was assisting your ESO,"**

" **Um, it is, I'm not being bombarded by readings, and my scans aren't remaining active,"** she insisted.

" **Jolt noticed your optics are still hyper-focused, however. Your processors are still overwhelmed with readings, even if you are not consciously aware of it. Usually this indicates that you need another processor activated, yet are being blocked from internally unlocking it yourself. I will need to hard-sync to your systems. ?Do you remember what I told you previously?** "

" **I believe so,"**

" **You are going to be disoriented from this, Jolt, kindly lend a servo,** "

" **Of course Ratchet,** " she eyed the young mech as he approached, gently reaching out to hold her arm. He was merely supporting her, she noted, his servos kept purposefully professional, wrapped around her elbow and behind her shoulder. She keenly felt his EM field brush against her, the soft concern and slightly awkward feelings tapping against her, before his field withdrew politely, humming softly against his armor as he allowed her to adjust to his presence. Almost like inhaling, she managed to withdraw her own field, though it fluttered skittishly and far more loosely than his calm composure. She felt amusement brush against her, his optics brightening slightly at her attempt to mimic him, a small smile lifting his lips briefly before his concern became more palpable.

" **Allow me,** " Smokescreen slipped to her other side, optics clearly worried, even as he slipped into Common, instead of remaining in English. If she was struggling to operate on too few processors, it certainly would explain her lack of emotional outbursts. She literally had too much going on to be able to focus on any one item of importance long enough to properly let it sink in. He was also worried that she might actually take off, her wings had been giving clear tells that she was struggling against Sky Hunger, and the overcharge was buzzing against his armor, now that he was close enough. Her optics glanced at him for a long moment before she allowed him to gingerly hold her, mirroring Jolt, with the professional touches to her elbow and shoulder. It was a similar stance to how police officers supported their comrade, right before their Taser training. His field was also withdrawn courteously, soft nudging brushes against her, primarily concern but a touch of amusement at her attempt to withdraw her fluctuating field.

" _Their primary form of communication,"_ she recalled, relaxing into the soft comforting fields on either side of her. _"If only humans could feel this, then they wouldn't mistake them as simple machines. Their emotions, their personalities, they show EVERYTHING, with their fields,"_ her optics refocused as Ratchet stepped in front of her, his field pulsing warmth, care, and concern. As she focused on him, she allowed him to raise her arm, his fingertips pressing firmly against the thin armor along her wrist. Despite the firmness, however, it was a light touch, similar to a soft caress of fingertips against sensitive skin. As he began to explain, his optics softened, a hint of affection and protective instincts threading through his field, lightly touching against her. She doubted he even realized it, she blinked, his focus instead on his explanation, not on controlling his field.

" **This will feel odd, just like before, it will ping against your HUD, but then you will sense me tap your sensors. Tense your frame if you want, but do not fight the syncing. That will make it harder,** " Ratchet explained as he turned her right wrist over, tapping at a panel halfway up her forearm. With a pointed nudge of his EM field, she noted he data-burst a medical code, one her frame accepted after a moment, the panel shifted, parting and slipping to the side, magnetizing in place to reveal a small plug and port. A flicker of wariness, warning, was brushed aside, her understanding of his feelings moments before calming the instinctive response to protect the delicate circuitry. His servo reached over, his own panel unlocking, fingers curling loosely around her bicep, over Smokescreen's gentle touch, as he locked their forearms together. Instinctively, her fingers latched gently against his elbow, their arms twisting until they aligned. With another data-burst, they were interlocked.

" _Okay, that definitely feels, odd,_ " Elly thought. For a moment, it felt almost like someone had placed a fuzzy caterpillar on her arm, before she felt the ping against her HUD, and then it was like Ratchet was muttering inside her helm. She didn't fight the creeping sensation, noting that, like the filter program, the various files were being consciously moved by something other than her. She did notice with relief that he wasn't looking at the files, or seemed unable to look at them. As though that were a trigger, she could now see that they were locked, a bit further investigating showed that it required her bio-sig to unlock them. Relaxing, knowing that he couldn't sneak a peek at anything, she now realized why exactly both Jolt and Smokescreen were supporting her. A wave of vertigo slammed into her, making her frame suddenly lean side to side, their gentle grips becoming slightly tighter as they used their own frames to help her remain balanced.

~ **!?What the frag?!** ~ Ratchet's voice echoed oddly in her helm. She could both see his optics flash brightly in his frame, and _feel_ his shock thrum through her as he poked and prodded at several little locks. Looking at the 'locks' for lack of a better word, Elly realized that she hadn't even noticed their presence, until he brought her attention to them. Scanning them internally, she didn't quite understand why he seemed to be having a heart attack, or perhaps Spark attack, as he mumbled darkly. She was greatly impressed, however, when he rewrote an entire code, sending it to one of the 'locks' and opening it. Almost instantaneously, like with the filter program, her helm cleared. The files that she wasn't actively using, but still receiving, were re-routed, making them available at the back of her helm, but not backlogging her processor. ~ **!I am terribly sorry, femmeling, I was unaware that you were only running on a single processor, a youngling of your age and frame size alone should have at least three processors, not including the fact that you are a Seeker, meaning you should have at least two more on top of that!** ~ his worry and dismay sunk deep inside her, he clearly was disappointed in himself at this oversight.

It took a moment, the feelings from his syncing and his suddenly swirling EM field making her dizzy, and out of breath for a moment. For a long, long, moment, all she could feel were his emotions, pressing against her from all sides, the dismay prominent, before the sliver of protectiveness from before, had enveloped her completely. She couldn't help it. She relaxed into it, the familiar sensation of being wrapped in nothing but protective warmth. He reminded her of her dad. The powerful sensation of strong arms wrapping around and enclosing her, his muscled chest rippling under her cheek. Memories of when she was a little girl, and her dad's affectionate and overprotective moments where he would cradle her after she got hurt or was scared. Mesmerized, she reluctantly pushed aside the emotions and memories, surprised at how _strong_ and quickly they had come up, before forcing a sort of calm over herself, refocusing on the intent mech before her. Thankfully, the two on either side of her, did not comment on the sudden fluctuations in her field, but a shared glance she didn't see, showed their relief and a flicker of understanding.

 _ **=Primus, that was powerful, Smokey,=**_

 _ **=Scrap, it appears she HAS been operating on too few processors. Those feelings were the strongest I have felt since my own bond with my Creators,=**_

~ **?Is this why I've been so disoriented and unable to focus?** ~ she guessed, focusing internally, and not sensing the sudden comlink between the other two.

~ **Indeed, and this is unforgivable on my account.** ~

~ **I don't blame you, I thought I only HAD one processor, I mean, humans only do, and you see how we're still alive and kicking,** ~ she joked. His processors hummed, hiding a momentary jolt of surprise and shock.

' _ **She still considers herself human, then. I understand her viewpoint, and yet, I cannot help but be disappointed. I should not have expected, no, I never should have put my expectations on her,'**_ he reprimanded himself, even as he activated another one of the locks. The rush of information crossing her central processor before slotting easily into the new space, once more freeing up the unknown backlog of readings that she had been holding on. She could feel her frame relaxing, more and more as he activated the locked processors, until she actually felt _normal_. The readings were mere wisps of thought that she could glance at and recognize, like she knew an apple was a fruit, edible, and its specific color. She didn't have to _think_ about it. She felt him hesitate, before continuing, activating one last processor, she mentally counted out seven, even though there appeared to be at least three more.

~ **There, those should be more than enough to last you at least a couple of solar rotations, however, if you feel that you are becoming backlogged again, you can always ask for my assistance in activating another processor. You seem to have plenty more to spare, and as you are still young, you will no doubt create more as your frame settles.** ~

~ **Thank you Ratchet,** ~ she felt his mental presence freeze for a long moment. She knew he felt her gratitude, not just for unlocking the processors, but also for his previous care, and certainly not least, for not accessing the information she guarded. His emotions brushed against her, more firmly, as he realized that she was accepting them, if only with a nano-klik of hesitation to simply recognize them.

~ **I will not breach your Primary Function,** ~ he stated slowly, even as he eased his mental presence out of her. " **I will never force you to break your Oaths, Lore-Keeper,** " he added, even as they both blinked back into reality. He was extremely gentle as he disconnected from her, making certain her panels locked down correctly before his own, before he looked her seriously in her optics. " **You might want to sit down, however,** " he warned. His field pulsed a momentary worry, a touch of amusement, and caution to the two mechs. As she tilted her helm, curious by what he meant, her vertigo slammed into her even stronger. Her optics whirled, blanking white, even as her knees collapsed underneath her. A startled trilling cheep escaped her, her crest flaring even as her wings unfurled with a snap, curling around both mechs defensively as they lowered her gently to the ground. Ratchet had grabbed her waist, helping them lower her as she dazedly settled on the ground. The string of trills and alarmed cheeps leaving her vocals was almost pretty, in an alarming way, her wings clinging around the two as her helm swayed from side to side. Her field pulsed, a specific sparkling-like tremor of alarm, confusion, and fear. In near unison, the three mechs coiled their fields close around her, pulsing calm and sudden protective assurances. Almost by instinct or protocol, the three scanned their surroundings, pulsing the scans to the suddenly vulnerable femmeling between them. Reassurances that she was safe, guarded.

" **Is she alright?** " Jolt didn't fight the warm metal curled against his back and side, noting with amusement that she had practically magnetized herself to Smokescreen and himself. The older mech glanced at him over her helm, amused optics glinting even as he tried to contain the laughter.

" **She was only operating on one processor,** " both mechs trilled their own surprise and alarm, glancing down at the dazed femme between them as she slowly readjusted. " **I just activated seven more processors, and no, Smokescreen, she needs all of them. In fact, I doubt it will be long before I have to activate another one for her. She will merely have to struggle for the moment to acclimatize to them. She is in safe servos, the base is secure, and there is no other location currently that would be better suited for it than here, other than the ARK of course. Also,** " he pointed out her wings, drawing their optics to the warm metal feathers. They could see the solar absorption nanites in a frenzy, collecting the solar energy, now that she had the processors to spare for the needed function. " **We have only another human** 'hour' **or two before we must deactivate the force-fields,** **she needs to collect as much as she can. I have no doubt her Seeker protocols will become more active soon as well.** "

" **True, we will have to contact one of the Aerials to help train her in flight.** "

" **That will have to wait until we relocate to the ARK again, since I doubt the humans would appreciate her destroying the '** asphalt' **any further,** "

" **Says the mech who wanted Ironhide to spar with her just breems ago,** "

* * *

"Hello" = speaking

'Hello' = thoughts

= _Hello_ = = com-links

~Hello~ = internal com

" **Bold** " = spoken Common

* * *

 **Klik** – roughly 1 Earth minute.

 **Breem** – roughly 8 Earth minutes.

 **Joor** \- roughly 7 Earth hours.

 **Orn** \- roughly 13 Earth days.

 **Vorn** \- roughly 83 Earth years.

* * *

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Stay Creative!

Firefly

P.S. If y'all have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.


	9. Not-Drugs and Triggers

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 7/10/17

Published: 7/3/19

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

* * *

Chapter Warnings: Elly is slightly silly. Slight Triggering, and sudden violence.

REREAD CHAPTER EIGHT! IT HAS BEEN EDITED! A BIT MORE INFO REGARDING EM FIELD INTERACTION!

* * *

Chapter Nine: Not-Drugs and Triggers

* * *

Previously:

" **She was only operating on one processor,** " both mechs trilled their own surprise and alarm, glancing down at the dazed femme between them as she slowly readjusted. " **I just activated seven more processors, and no, Smokescreen, she needs all of them. In fact, I doubt it will be long before I have to activate another one for her. She will merely have to struggle for the moment to acclimatize to them. She is in safe servos, the base is secure, and there is no other location currently that would be better suited for it than here, other than the ARK of course. Also,** " he pointed out her wings, drawing their optics to the warm metal feathers. They could see the solar absorption nanites in a frenzy, collecting the solar energy, now that she had the processors to spare for the needed function. " **We have only another human** 'hour' **or two before we must deactivate the force-fields,** **she needs to collect as much as she can. I have no doubt her Seeker protocols will become more active soon as well.** "

" **True, we will have to contact one of the Aerials to help train her in flight.** "

" **That will have to wait until we relocate to the ARK again, since I doubt the humans would appreciate her destroying the '** asphalt' **any further,** "

" **Says the mech who wanted Ironhide to spar with her just breems ago,** "

* * *

" **That does not sound wise,** " Jolt protested, looking at the Praxian in shock. Smokescreen grinned a bit sheepishly back, shrugging his shoulders, while his field pulsed with amusement.

" **I was testing different ways, it seemed like a good idea, considering how comfortable she appeared to be in her frame. Obviously with this new information that plan is getting scrapped.** "

" **?Oh really, then why is Ironhide approaching now?** " the three mechs looked over to see said Weapons Specialist moving towards them at a brisk pace. By the time he had reached them, Elly's helm wasn't spinning around, but she did feel very odd as she moved her limbs.

" **Oh, hey, Ironhide. ?What brings you over here?** "

" **?What the frag did you three mechs do to her?** " he drawled, ignoring Smokescreen's cheerful greeting. They glanced back at her, seeing her blinking back at them in confusion.

"Damn, if zat was lick, no, _like,_ hosp-hos-hospa-tol d-drugs, zen Ah'm glad Ah down, dune, ah, _don't_ do zem," she slurred, "Ha, ha, R-ratch, you, yer, ah, dizzy," her servo came up to cover her face-plates, even as she shook her helm, clicking her glossa.

" **It will be about a breem before her helm settles, and she acclimates to the shift in her systems.** " Ratchet explained as he scanned her lightly. " **She appears to have an odd side-effect from the activation of the new processors, although it is not as severe as I had feared,** "

" **?What did you expect, Ratchet? I would not have recommended activating so many at once,** "

" **You did not see just how much information had backlogged on her,** " the CMO snapped, " **Prime is going to glitch as it is,** "

" **?Why is that?** "

" **That is for Prime to reveal, in the meantime however, we need to assist her in regaining her previous state of frame familiarity,** "

"You guys keep talkin' funny," she giggled, then looked up at Jolt. " **?You're pretty, Jolt, do you have a mech-friend?** " As he chuffed in amusement, the older mechs vented in relief at hearing the slur slowly disappearing from her voice. " **?I bet'cha do, well he betta, bettah, better, take good care of ya, cuz you diss, desk, no, why can't I talk?** "

" **Your processors are readjusting, femmeling,** " Ratchet helped them lift her back to her pedes, his servos hovering around her sides as she swayed, even with them holding her. Their fields purred softly against hers, continuing to offer the sensations of safety, even as her own slowly withdrew the sparkling pulsing of instinctive fear. Ironhide's optics flashed as he read their fields, sending a pulse of concern and questioning to Ratchet. The CMO pulsed calm back, a pointed flicker of _**(**_ _ **activation_processors**_ **.)** The Weapons Specialist hummed his understanding back, optics refocusing on the femmeling that had brought much needed change and, if he was being honest, much welcome chaos, to their ranks. Elly hummed thoughtfully, stretching her neck before staring down at her clawed pedes. Flexing them, she chuffed when she accidentally gouged the asphalt. " **?Try not to damage anything else?** "

"Oopsie," she muttered, " **?What about, the, uh, wassit called? The junk in, not my trunk, I ain't got no trunk,** " her optics flickered before she leaned back, her wings uncurling from around them so she could see, and eyed Smokescreen's and then Jolt's back-plates. Her field pulsed amusement and mischief, even as warmth bloomed and pulsed towards all four of them. " **They got junk in their trunks,** " Jolt's face-plates warmed, his optics flashing as he trilled in embarrassment. Smokescreen chortled before purposefully wiggling his plates, drawing her optics back to him.

" **?So you like my aft then, femme?** " he asked, grinning. ' _ **This is different, playful, ah, perhaps she is not so unreceptive to flirtations, as long as it is playful and not serious. I will have to tell Dino to be less overwhelming, at least at first,'**_

" **It's nice,** " she chirped, smiling back, " **But I think Ratchet's is nicer, probably, lemme see your '** ass **,' Doc-bot,** " Her golden optics brightened, her field pulsing faster as her Spark became extra playful and curious.

" **Language, and I think not,** " he denied, though there was amusement in his tone, " **?How are your processors?** " His field mingled softly, reassured by the soft pulses that had overtaken the brief fear, his Spark pulsing warmth at the young and joyful feelings spreading from her. It had been far too long, he wistfully recalled, feeling the unmasked sensations of a youngling, untroubled by the war. Bumblebee still held traces of the coding, but his had already started to lose it, due to his missions and the war.

" **!I can think!** " she trilled, swaying backwards as her wings spread out and up, making her lose her balance for a moment. Lucky for her, Jolt and Smokescreen still had a secure grip on her elbows and shoulders, holding her as she went backwards, before gently easing her back upright. All their fields prodded at her, alarmed briefly, before relaxing as amusement and _**(**_ _ **!do_that_again!)**_ was pulsed back at them. " **!Don't change the subject though!** " her optics looked past him to see the black mech behind him. " **!Hey! !Hey! ?!Does Doc-bot have a nice** 'ass' **?!** "

" **!Primus Above, yah three were suppos'd to evaluate her, not g't her overcharg'd!** "

" **Hee, hee, he's got a Southern drawl,** " she giggled. " **Hey, lemme see your** 'ass,'"

" **?How am I suppos'd to evaluate her fightin' skills like this?** " he growled, waving his servo towards her swaying form. " **'Specially since she seems so fixat'd on yer afts,** " Prodding the nonplussed medic in the chassis.

" **?Show her yours?** " Ratchet muttered, snorting softly, " **She might follow you to a training field then,** "

" **?Ooo, really? !Only if Doc-bot gets to watch! !I still wanna see his '** ass **,' aft, though!** "

" **Quiet femmelin', the big mechs are talkin' righ' now,** "

" **Being quiet,** " she ducked her helm, almost timidly, but then giggled softly, " **!Oooo! ?!Can I see your cannons?!** " He gave her a Look, shoving his servos on his hips, field pulsing with slight annoyance and unwilling amusement.

" **That is not bein' quiet,** " She nodded her helm, optics bright and whirling, very similarly to Bumblebee's, which made them all melt a bit.

' _ **Scrap, she really is just a youngling,**_ ' raced through their minds.

" **Mature for her age, but still,** " Ratchet turned, giving Ironhide a gimlet optic, ignoring the snickers from the two mechs behind him as she took the opportunity to twist and sneak a peek. When he looked back, however, she stared back at him with an innocent look and bright smile, crest fluffed up cutely as her wings folded gracefully against her back. Without even realizing it, her frame had stabilized and she merely stood between them, without their support. " **?Okay, how long were you** 'playing' **us for?** " he questioned. She blinked her optics once, before her bright smile turned into a smirk as she shrugged, then mimed zipping her lips. " **You can talk now,** " she tilted her helm and looked specifically at the now openly amused Weapons Specialist.

" **You got us, femme,** " he conceded.

" **Really, as soon as Jolt blushed, but it got all y'all to relax from fussing over me,** " she chirped. " **Now if you're done testing me, I ain't going to go on a killing spree, but I really, really, really, need to go run or something,** " she rattled quickly.

" **?Why is that?** " was asked, just before Ratchet scanned her again.

" **She has too much Energon build-up, no doubt her wings have been over-charged from remaining inside the warehouse these past cycles.** " His optics flickered as she started hopping from one pede to the other. " **Also, her solar absorption function has been activated, therefore she is now collecting said energy.** "

" **!I need to go, need-to-go-now!** " that said, she abruptly turned around and ran towards the tarmac, ignoring their calls, until she came to a deserted air-strip and just ran back and forth as they followed behind her at a slower rate. She ignored the radio and com-link signals she could feel buzzing against her helm, glancing back just long enough to identify Jolt was the one calming the human radio tower. Her helm was clear, even of the backlog of readings she hadn't even realized she was still stressing over. Yet, the sudden urge to move around was not uncommon either. She had often paced to help her think and calm down, listening to music while allowing her creativity to bring inspiration and solutions to any problems she was working through. Running back and forth on an airstrip was certainly a new experience, but the familiar movements of back and forth was relaxing and easing away any remaining stress. The only thing that would have made it better, in her opinion, was listening to some of her playlists.

She did not have access to the wifi or network, however, even if she were able to figure out how to connect using her HUD. With that little problem, however, she figured she could simply recall any songs that came to mind. Figuring that was better than silence in her helm, she started humming as she paced, feeling the familiar stretch in her limbs as she worked the tight cabling loose, just like with muscles. She did notice that the lack of needing to 'breathe' was odd; her vents only had to draw in air a couple of times every few minutes, simply to expel the excess heat. Her normal symptoms and quirky way of gauging time measurements were obsolete, since she did not feel the stitches in her ribs, the ache in her gums and thighs, or the buildup of sweat. In fact, when Ironhide called her over, she was surprised to see it had been nearly an hour, according to the Cybertronian time stamp in her HUD, despite it only feeling like a couple of minutes. She certainly _felt_ better, the jittery sensation of too much energy was less pronounced, though her wings were still a bit twitchy.

" **?Feel better?** " he questioned as she drew nearer, his field fluctuating and brushing against her, _**(?Calm?_Safe)**_ pressing gently against her, even as she marveled as she read him easier than before. After pacing, feeling her helm utterly clear after musing over finally accepting and understanding how EM fields typically worked, she felt more comfortable in her instinctive reading of them. She had been blocked previously, unless they were pointed prods, like with the twins, but with free processors, she felt much better and not as stressed or worried. Her optics crinkled with her smile, even as she danced slightly in place, wings stretching as a purr escaped her chassis.

" **!Much~ better~!** " she sang, gaining a chuff from him and snickers from the other three. They had made themselves comfortable, standing in relatively neutral stances, forming a loose half circle as they observed her exercise. She could feel them pulsing thoughts and emotions back and forth, curious and eager to learn more about this nonverbal communication, yet suddenly shy about actually interacting with them again.

" **Good. ?Are you up to a spar then?** " her optics blinked at the sudden question, glancing over at the others, even as he waited patiently for her response.

" **Eh, I don't think that would be wise,** " she hedged, wincing at recalled memories. That had been an issue between her parents, her mom had taught her one thing, while her dad had attempted to teach her nearly opposite. Theoretically, she understood why they did, and why they argued, but in truth, she felt more comfortable with her mom's stance, than her dad's. Not to mention several incidents when she was younger. Something she really did NOT want to bring up, at all.

" **If you think you will be able to harm me, then you are mistak'n,** " he chortled, amused yet patient, most likely from his vorns of teaching impudent younglings. His field rippled softly, wisdom, patience, and calm security swirling with hard-earned confidence. Her Spark flickered at his words, they sounded so familiar to her. Without her realizing, a scroll line of coding activated in one of her newly aware processors. Shaking off the familiarity, she glanced back at the mech, shifting slightly in place.

" **Err, no, that's not it,** " she denied, shifting her weight from one pede to another as she mused over how to explain her situation, without dragging up unwanted memories and emotions. " **My** _'_ mom _'_ **taught me to only use reasonable force at the max, avoid and escape are the preferred options to threats,** " she shrugged, even as he thought over this small personal tidbit of information. Smokescreen and Ratchet shared a look, even as Jolt nodded his helm in agreement. " **My** 'dad _'_ **tried to train me otherwise. I usually ended up bruised on the floor, rather than defending myself,** "

" **I admire yer femme creat'r for her stance, however, we are in a war. If you do not fight to survive, you will not, and yer comrades will offline as well,** " he spoke eventually. She nodded her helm in agreement, though her bright smile had vanished, leaving a disquiet and almost forlorn expression in her optics. Her EM field pulsed slowly, they could feel the contemplation and hints of darker emotions, just by letting their fields flicker against hers.

= _ **That explains her reactions before she took her Oaths,**_ =

= _ **Indeed, it is starting to make sense.**_ =

" **A simple sparrin' exercise, femmelin' that is all, to gauge how much you still need to learn,** "

" **?Don't you mean how much of a threat I am?** " she murmured, accidentally aloud. She winced, upon realizing that, even as the mechs tensed briefly. Their fields pulsed, tamping back automatically, before relaxing, but nowhere near as open as before.

" **That as well. However, our primary concern is keepin' you alive, an' away from Dec'ptic'n scraps,** " Ironhide agreed bluntly.

" **?Why do you want to keep me away from them? I know you're in a war and all, but the way you guys keep acting, you think they would torture me or something.** " she asked, knowing, but wanting to hear their reasons. She watched them share glances and pulses, but didn't feel the buzz of com-links, before Ratchet vented and stepped forward.

" **Before you became entangled in our war, we were hunting a Cybertronian artifact, called a Key. It contained unknown information that could have potentially devastating consequences should the Decepticons gotten a hold of it. A Decepticon Interceptor, designated Sideways, had managed to capture it, while Prime was in pursuit, which is when your accident occurred. From our understanding, when Sideways clipped your vehicle, he accidentally activated the Key and it was transferred to you. Before your bio-conversion, we kept receiving Cybertronian signals from your general location, weak pings that matched the Key's bio-signal.** "

" **Well that explains all the fancy vehicles I kept spotting,** " she muttered, scuffing her toes lightly against the ground.

" **Unfortunately, the Decepticons had also been tracking the weak signal,** " the CMO nodded, optics flashing at her confirmations. They had suspected she had noticed something was off, especially with how she reacted during her 'car-shopping' excursions. " **Sideways in particular had been lingering around your location, however others were there as well,** "

" **Not to mention the creepy agent-wannabes,** " she huffed, field withdrawing even as her plating tightened against her protoform defensively. A startled noise escaped the listening mechs, making her pause and blink at them curiously.

" **?Agents? ?What agents?** "

" **Two men, '** John Peterson **' and '** Peter Johnson **' which were really bad aliases I guess, not to mention the black** SUVs **that kept following me. Then of course there was the silver** Corvette **, and I guess the other silver car I didn't get a good look at.** "

" **The** Corvette **was Sideswipe, Autobot Warrior, however we were unaware that human agents had visited or been observing you,** " Jolt informed her. Her helm tilted, blinking her optics slowly, before she opened her mouth, intending on asking about the silver twin, only to feel an odd pinch at the back of her processors. Blinking, shutting her mouth with a soft click, she felt her Spark sent a strong pulse.

' _ **They were not introduced to you,**_ ' it wasn't one of her thoughts, she knew right away. For one, she was well aware that she was still 'thinking' in English, while the random thought was Common. Another, the thought/whisper was deep and masculine, a low baritone purr. Her processors suddenly recalled what Lore had said: _You will no longer be you, you will struggle with your self-identity, no longer knowing what is you, and what is us._

' _So that was one of the previous Mentors,_ ' she realized, feeling an affirmation from her Spark.

" **?Femmeling? ?Are you alright?** " blinking, she re-focused on the four mechs.

" **Fine, I'm fine,** " the words were automatic, her crest-sensors flaring out as she hummed softly in thought. Before she could ask, however, her Spark pulsed again, a quick denial, and admonishment, even as the cultural tidbit was pulled free of one of the many files tucked away inside her. Bots introduced themselves, it was a tradition based on respect. Since a bot could accumulate several designations over their lifetime, they chose what designation they allowed another to call them by upon their introduction. The only exception, like how Ratchet had introduced Smokescreen, were for professional partners. Smokescreen had to have given Ratchet permission to introduce him to her, just as Ratchet had given him permission to assist him. While Ratchet's medical profession meant he was a medic for her frame, Smokescreen in a way, qualified as a medic for her processors, however, since Ratchet 'had dibs' on her so to speak, Smokescreen needed permission to interact with her.

Her processors whirled with the complicated 'red tape' of Cybertronian tradition, meant to establish professional courtesy and cooperation. Referrals were also considered an exception to the basic introductory tradition. Sometimes, a bot's professional designation was different to their personal designation. In that case, it would be rude to use a personal designation while in a professional setting. Another exception being a bot's first, or sparkling, designation. She had been named by the soldiers, and Ratchet took it to Spark. Allowing the information to settle at the fore-front of her processors, she refrained from asking any personal questions.

" **?Are you certain you are well? We can continue later. I do not desire to overwhelm your processors with too much information,** "

" **I'm fine, really, just a bit of cultural information popped up,** " she revealed, deciding to see how they reacted. Jolt and Smokescreen both appeared quite interested, Ratchet's interest just a smidge less, while Ironhide kept his calculating gaze on her.

" **?Oh? ?What sort of cultural information?** " it was Jolt who asked, his interest flaring in his EM field. She felt her own field ripple slightly against his, the sense of 'scholar' and 'learning' twined deeply in his, enabled her to push back the automatic defensiveness. He really was just curious, but not at all intent in gaining knowledge, which was an odd but interesting connotation to think about.

" **Traditional introductions, where a Bot introduces themselves, not being introduced by others. It's different from human customs,** " she hummed softly, then looked back at them, her optics soft and warm. " **I like it, it's respectful, and that way no one is introduced to another by a designation they hate,** " She could see the startled looks shared between the older mechs, though Jolt dipped his helm, optics brightening a bit as he stepped closer. She felt his EM field ripple against her again, a sudden warmth blossoming from him. _"Wow, did I somehow endear myself to him?_ "

" **Indeed, no offense meant towards the humans, however, I find their customs rather, well,** "

" **?Disrespectful? ?Annoying? ?Borderline prejudicial? I completely agree,** " she felt their shock ripple against her EM field, even as her smile turned grim. " **Believe me, I find most humans annoying and destructive. They are losing their morality, common courtesy and sense, becoming more and more self-centered. Not all humans are bad, I know, but I've seen the best and worst of them, trust me, I know how humans can be,** " That said, her EM field drew back, tightening around her, as she fell back into memories she didn't want to ever remember. The lonely days of watching her supposedly 'best friends' drift off, leaving her without a single reason why. Observing from the outside how cruel teenagers could be to another, bullying, harsh words that caused unseen harm to others, making them lose confidence in themselves. Her home life was good, she knew far more people had it worse, much worse, than she did. It was one of the main reasons she befriended the 'outcasts' and didn't judge others. It just seemed that no matter what good she did for others, they always seemed to leave her right when she felt comfortable with them, and when they didn't need her anymore. She was tired of being another's pillar of strength and encouragement. Most especially, she was tired of dealing with others' problems.

" **?Femmeling?** " a servo on her shoulder instantly made her flinch, ripping her conscious out of past memories, even some from other lives that she hadn't even realized.

" **Twenty-seven,** " she blurted out, optics hazy before she cleared them with several blinks.

" **?Twenty-seven? ?Twenty-seven what?** " the CMO questioned, alarmed at how withdrawn she had suddenly become.

" **Twenty-seven lives before mine, twenty-seven lives that have barely survived, that didn't even have a chance to live. I guess their memories crept up and swamped me all of a sudden, at least, the built up emotions did,** " she murmured. Smokescreen vented softly, observing her as the others shared bemused looks.

" **I am afraid that will happen far more often in the future, at least until you fully integrate with their memories. I only hope it does not happen at an inopportune moment,** " he warned. At their looks, he vented again before elaborating. " **She is from a collective of twenty-seven Descent-classes. Unlike when one bonds to another, the linked integrate with only one other, not multiple Sparks. Just as it takes the newly-bound time to integrate with each other, her Spark will need a great deal of time to differentiate between her memories, and the collective's.** "

" _Lore's words are making more and more sense, hindsight is twenty-twenty, but also a bitch,_ " Elly vented, feeling her Spark pulse again.

" **Another reason you need to know 'ow to protect yaself, and fer me to test you,** " Ironhide rumbled, stepping forward as Ratchet reluctantly stepped back. He bent slightly forward, emphasizing his larger mass to the smaller femme, giving her a hard look. She blinked back at him blankly, nonchalant, clearly unimpressed.

" **I never disagreed with you,** " she pointed out, making him falter briefly, " **I just warned you, that you're not going to be happy with my lack of offensive capabilities.** " She was not expecting the rumbling laughter that shook his chassis. Looking at the other mechs, confused, she watched them share looks, before smirking, a quick buzz of a com-link between them letting them understand the joke. " **Um, clueless former-squishy here. ?Do you mind explaining or did I break his processors?** "

" **You are a Seeker-frame,** " Jolt stepped forward, taking pity on her as the other mechs continued enjoying the moment. " **Seekers are natural combat-oriented frames. You underestimate your instinctive coding and protocols. ?Don't you remember? It has already been demonstrated, when you threw your blade at Sunstreaker,** "

" **?I swear, I am not going to live that down, am I?** "

" **Not a chance,** "

" **Scrap,** "

" **Language,** "

" **You are not my** 'mother' **and she is actually the one who taught me to swear,** "

" **?And your mech creator?** "

" **He stopped with the whole, you're a** 'lady **,' you shouldn't say or act like that, after I beat his firing score with his brand new** 'Taurus' **nine millimeter,** "

" **?Is that right? ?How good was it?** "

" **!Smokescreen! !Do not encourage her!** "

" **Come on Ratch, she is fully mature, you even said so yourself. Besides, I doubt she will go very long without hearing somebot cuss or even the humans,** "

" **!She is not a soldier!** " his growl silenced the mirth for a moment, " **!She does not need to demean herself in such a way as to use such crass language!** "

" **If you think for one nano-klik that I'm at all sophisticated, then you need to meet my** 'grand-uncle' **as well as my** 'maternal grandmother' **before you get offended on my behalf,** " her quiet words silenced the CMO, even as he whirled around to face her again. Before he could respond, however, she held up her servo in a 'wait' position. Her field pulsed against theirs, a hesitant _**(?Patience?)**_ tentatively sent out. Their optics brightened, surprise, then pride pulsing in their fields as she tried out a standard nonverbal exchange for the first time. " **My** 'grand-uncle' **constantly tried to compel my sisters and brother and myself into the proper gender role. Meaning, my sisters and I were to be mute little housewives who didn't think for ourselves, and only stayed home cleaning, cooking, servicing a high-strung and arrogant mech, and raising sparklings. Not to mention my brother was supposed to be a** 'God' **fearing man who took a** 'wife **' and was allowed to beat her and his sparklings into submission.** " She let her words sink in, watching the shock and horror rise in their optics, fields buzzing in alarm and disgust. " **Needless to say, he wasn't around very much. My** 'mother' **refused to let him near us after she found him punishing us for playing in the muddy backyard.** " She shivered, recalling that day, before forcing it away. " **Instead, my** 'maternal grandmother' **took the lead in teaching us to be true to ourselves, and not allow anyone to force their beliefs on us. She taught us the values and wisdom of the land, and how to respect it, as well as utilize our inner energy to shield ourselves from negative energies,** " she fondly recalled her almost hippie-like grandmother. " **Considering how happy my sisters and brother are, without his expectations on them, and the fact that he thought cussing meant we would be struck by lightning, I don't give a scrap about his views and morals,** " she added.

" **So in defiance of him, you embody everything he hates,** " Smokescreen did not hide his amusement, at her revelation as well as Ratchet's put-out expression.

" **Well, that and I hang out with too many** 'males' **who swear too much,** " she admitted softly, her facial-plates warming slightly. As Smokescreen started laughing again, Ironhide vented heavily, placing his servos on his hip components.

" **Not only that, she distracted us ag'in,** " he pointed out, to her dismay. She had hoped he wouldn't have caught the distraction tactic, it was one of her specialties, leading people off on a tangent, and distracting them from the original topic. " **Yer** 'human' **side might not be capable of offensive maneuvers, but I doubt yer other lives were all non-combatants. Yer Warrior-burst, was stron' an' recent, an' with a Seeker's frame, you will not be an easy target to take out, once yer other sides come into play,** "

" **?My other sides?** " she tilted her helm.

" **You are not dumb, femmelin' so stop actin' like it,** " his scolding made her pout briefly. " **Yer twenty-seven collective, I doubt any of em were non-combative. They had too much to pr'tect, after all,** " She felt her Spark turn frigid, the amusement dying in an instant. Ironhide was the first to note the sudden change in demeanor, pulsing out a warning and scruffing Jolt, yanking him back as her claws suddenly whistled through the air. The Communications Technician yelped softly, even as the Weapons Specialist lunged forward, his armored forearm thrusting forward and blocking the second swipe from landing on the younger mech. Smokescreen cussed vividly, slamming open the Officer-Link and sending a call for backup, even as Ratchet automatically scanned Jolt for injuries as Ironhide corralled her back. The CMO felt his Spark flicker with dread, his optics spotting what were once warm golden optics had turned a cold rust-color.

= _ **!Ironhide, her optics!**_ =

= _ **I know,**_ = The Weapons Specialist got the hissing Seeker further away from the others, warily watching her as her frame fluffed in an effort to look larger. To make it worse, her wings snapped open, each bladed feather shivering against the other, making a frightening hiss-like rattling. Her dull rust-colored optics, however, were the most worrisome. They were dull, dark, without any sort of reasoning that he could sense, her EM field only pulsing hostility and defensive protocols. For just one nano-klik, he was relieved that this had happened while he had been present. Nanos later, he wanted to slap Smokescreen's helm right off his shoulder-struts. The backup had arrived, and he did NOT agree with it being the twins.

* * *

"Hello" = speaking

'Hello' = thoughts

= _Hello_ = = com-links

" **Bold** " = spoken Common

* * *

 **Klik** – roughly 1 Earth minute.

 **Breem** – roughly 8 Earth minutes.

 **Joor** \- roughly 7 Earth hours.

 **Orn** \- roughly 13 Earth days.

 **Vorn** \- roughly 83 Earth years.

* * *

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Stay Creative!

Firefly

P.S. If y'all have any questions, don't be afraid to ask.


	10. The Oath, and the Memory

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, the movies, cartoons, shows, etc. All I own are my crazy thoughts and theories about this wonderful fandom that I love beyond the stars. As well as any OCs that may pop up in the chapters and from the depraved depths of my soul/mind.

Started: 8/20/17

Published:7/8/19

Story: Life is full of wicked turns...

Chapter Warnings: The final part contains a memory of child molestation, torture, and violence.

* * *

Chapter Ten: The Oath, and the Memory

* * *

Previously:

" **You are not dumb, femmelin' so stop actin' like it,** " his scolding made her pout briefly. " **Yer twenty-seven collective, I doubt none of em were non-combative. They had too much to pr'tect, after all,** " She felt her Spark turn frigid, the amusement dying in an instant. Ironhide was the first to note the sudden change in demeanor, pulsing out a warning and scruffing Jolt, yanking him back as her claws suddenly whistled through the air. The Communications Technician yelped softly, even as the Weapons Specialist lunged forward, his armored forearm thrusting forward and blocking the second swipe from landing on the younger mech. Smokescreen cussed vividly, slamming open the Officer-Link and sending a call for backup, even as Ratchet automatically scanned Jolt for injuries as Ironhide corralled her back. The CMO felt his Spark flicker with dread, his optics spotting what were once warm golden optics, had turned a cold rust-color.

= _ **!Ironhide, her optics!**_ =

= _ **I know,**_ = The Weapons Specialist got the hissing Seeker further away from the others, warily watching her as her frame fluffed in an effort to look larger. To make it worse, her wings snapped open, each bladed feather shivering against the other, making a frightening hiss-like rattling. Her dull rust-colored optics, however, were the most worrisome. They were dull, dark, without any sort of reasoning that he could sense, her EM field only pulsing hostility and defensive protocols. For just one nano-klik, he was relieved that this had happened while he had been present. Nanos later, he wanted to slap Smokescreen's helm right off his shoulder-struts. The backup had arrived, and he did NOT agree with it being the twins.

* * *

Elly blinked, suddenly wondering what had happened. One moment she was talking to the four mechs, and the next, she felt her Spark grow cold and she was suddenly alone. The darkness around her was familiar, she noted, reaching out blindly. Thinking on it for several long moments, it finally clicked. The last time she had been in this void was during her bio-conversion. Looking down at herself, she noted that she was Cybertronian, not human, but lacking her outer armor. In fact, she was bare down to her thinnest protoform. Looking behind her, she could see her wings, but they too were lacking. All the metal feathers were missing, leaving much thinner interconnected plates to form more traditional wings. ' _They are still functional, despite the lack of heavy armor,'_ she realized, which instantly brought up the internal scan of her frame again. She blinked, surprised to see the secondary transformation sequence, pretty much 'shrugging' off the excess armor, making her faster and lighter. The extended struts of her wings would click back, folding inwards, to form shorter narrower wings. She also found two scans. The first one was a scan of an old archived alt-mode, a flyer similar to a hybrid of a predator drone and one of the X-jets from Star Wars. The second however, seemed to be blocked, and she wasn't able to open it. She could see a rough silhouette, however, but it looked oddly organic and animal-like.

~ **We apologize for the abrupt summons, Heir,** ~

"SONUVABITCH!" Somehow, she managed to jump three feet in the air, her Spark feeling like it was about to explode. Whirling around, her optics cycled, adjusting, before staring at the mechs that were standing behind her.

~ **Now dat was amusin' ta seh,** ~ one of them snickered. The leader, she assumed was the leader, sent him a venomous glare, even as the other two took a step back so he was the closest to her. For a very long moment, Elly just stared blankly as they argued. While they were distracted, her optics were drawn to assess the group, in particular to a mech hiding further away, his arms crossed over his heavily armored chassis. His dark brimstone optics observed silently, his black and grey armor blending in easily with the darkness around them, the edges flickering and fading, almost like he was a ghost. Pieces clicking together, Elly looked at the bickering two mechs, as well as the other one that watched, obviously entertained. Counting, she frowned softly, only four were present, not including herself.

~ **Y'all are previous Mentors,** ~ her words silenced the two, drawing their attention back to her. The leader, his blue optics shining, made his way over. As he moved closer to her, feeling each reverberating thud of his pedes, she noted that their images were distorted, their heights were not accurate. Despite being in her Cybertronian form, Elly knew she was standing at her human five-foot three, and their frames were based on that.

~ **I am Avris, the Seventh Mentor,** ~ his frame reached six foot, sleek protoform covered in silver and dark blue armor, clearly ground-based, with a curved chevron and sharp door-wings, a Praxian. ~ **We summoned you here, now that your other processors have been activated, we can communicate easier. We will also be able to integrate with you,** ~ His field pulsed sharply, tapping incessantly against her in an irritating, and very offensive, way.

~ **Dun drag us inta ya scheme, Avris,** ~ the second mech, the one who had been the focus of Avris's glare, piped up. His frame was shorter than his, perhaps five and a half feet tall, clawed servos that he was cleaning with a bored expression, his dark orange optics unamused as he offered the mech an annoyed huff. His protoform was a very dark grey, combined with a lighter steel armor, with a more spiky appearance. ~ **Forgive mah rudeness, luv, Ah am Dexius, da Twentieth Mentah,** ~

~ **?Where's Lore?** ~ she interrupted Avris as he moved to reprimand the other. They glanced at her with a blank look before the third mech snickered.

~ **She talkin' 'bout Skydawn,** ~ the brown and red mech called out, blue optics whirling with amusement. He was smaller than the others, shorter than her too, at five foot, door-wings flitting in time with his audial sensors, reminding her of Bumblebee. ~ **Designation Raptor, I am the Twenty-third Mentor,** ~ He ignored the annoyed look from Avris, bouncing up to crinkle his optics at her. ~ **Skydawn picked wisely. !I am so relieved he did not pick the other one!** ~

~ **?Other one?** ~ she repeated. The three mechs shivered, fields withdrawing, optics shuttering. She noted that the fourth mech, the one nearly invisible, shook his helm slightly with an exasperated look in his dark optics.

~ **The other one was, not, right,** ~ a familiar voice came from behind her. Turning her helm, she couldn't help it. Her crest perked up, fluffing, her wings perking up and twitching in happiness, as her golden optics met mirrored ones. Lore, or Skydawn, stood just behind her right shoulder. His powerful frame was taller than Avris's, being six and a half feet, heavily armored and built like Optimus Prime, but with similarities to the Knights from the fifth movie, with large wings folded against his back like a moth's. His armor was a soft blend of yellows, oranges, and reds, his designation clearly referred to his coloration. His golden optics were darker than her own, with black glyphs etched down his faceplate, a row down from the corner of his optics, and one down the center of his chin.

~ **!Lore!** ~ she trilled, whirling and lunging forward. His arms curled up, catching her easily, tenderly lifting her up to his chassis, even as he bent his helm forward, pressing their fore-helms together with a soft sighing vent. Pressing closer to him, Elly felt her Spark pulse happily, feeling his Spark pulse back, their fore-helms sparking softly. It was a tender gesture, she realized, an affectionate gesture from an elder to a youngling, or close friends and family. Their fields meshed instinctively, far too easily, she briefly wondered, a tiny flicker of suspicion that was quickly smothered as he rained affectionate pulses against her.

~ **My beautiful femmeling, I am grateful that the conversion brought out your true beauty,** ~ he murmured softly, optics warm as he nuzzled her, ~ **I only regret that our time was so short,** ~ His Spark purred, mesmerizing and dazing her, her optics half-lidding even as her frame melted against his.

~ **?Lore, what's going on? I don't understand,** ~ the words were a struggle to push out, but despite the smothering affection, she felt her Spark pulsing worry. She was supposed to be somewhere else, not here.

~ **Unfortunately, you must awaken.** ~ His optics flickered as he pulled back. ~ **As the Autobot claimed, one of your 'other sides' activated at his poor choice of words. One of our, undesirable, Mentors had taken the chance to claim your frame. It does not happen often, thank the Holy Ones, and now that you are aware, and have the needed processors, you can prevent it. You simply must take control back from Sharrow,** ~

~ **!But…!** ~

~ **We can speak again, no fears, my femmeling, yet at a proper time,** ~ his optics looked away from her, hardening and turning cold. She felt Avris's EM field shrink away, shame lingering even as he pinged a soft apology. ~ **Avris has always been arrogant and demanding attention, perhaps now he will cease his sparkling selfishness, and allow you proper time to integrate,** ~ he scolded. Feeling the protective warmth pulsing from his Spark, and yet the harshness of his reprimand, Elly couldn't help but smile as she snuggled deeper into his embrace.

~ **I will keep you to your word,** ~

~ **Indeed, now go,** ~ she felt herself dissipate, free-falling backwards, hearing his words become muffled as he truly reprimanded the others. Just like when she had been 'yanked' into that meeting, she found herself suddenly facing the back-plates of another mech, this one obviously distracted by something and hadn't noticed her yet. Looking past him, she felt her Spark turn cold. Before them was what appeared to be almost like a wide-screen, curving towards them. Present on the screen, were the events happening in the 'real world.' Currently, they were watching as Ironhide growled at her, his armor scratched and bleeding as he attempted to keep her crazed frame from lunging at the others nearby. The mech in front of her kept chuckling darkly, enjoying the worry pasted on the Autobots' faceplates, and the warm Energon on her claws.

~ **?Hey, Sharrow, was it? !BACK OFF!** ~ that said, she lunged at the rust and black colored mech.

* * *

It was a very long quarter-breem, Ironhide thought darkly, optics locked on target even as he was barking out orders to the nearby mechs. He wasn't certain what he had said to set the femmeling off, but he knew that he really did NOT want to ever meet her on the battlefield like this again. It was a quick and slow shift, her optics had dulled from the soft warm golden color, into a dull rust that held the same cold menacing glare only far-gone Decepticons possessed. Following that, to his utter horror, her bright coloration had dulled, turning a matte rusty gray, even as Ratchet and Smokescreen hissed in concern. Her claws were flashing out, lunging and backing away, even as he managed to corral her away from the buildings. Her field was withdrawn, pressed so close to her armor that she truly felt machine-cold, even drones had more feeling in their EM fields. Lucky for them, she wasn't drawing her wing-blades, in fact, other than rattling dangerously, they seemed to be oddly in her way, making her snarl as she over-balanced or clipped them on something as she was pushed further and further into a secluded area. It was her voice, however, that truly made it sink in, that they weren't seeing the gentle 'Angel' anymore.

" **!Annoying, soft-sparked Autobot! !Thou Spark should have been snuffed out in times long past!** " the guttural voice was harsh and deep, an archaic accent cluing them in that the mech had been from Cybertron eons ago. His Spark hurt, missing the strangely accented tones that she spoke, almost like she was singing her words. It was an old way, one very few spoke, and many tried to mimic without really grasping it. " **?Do thou think thouself wise? A mere youngling in thine optics. !Be offlined and meet thine Maker!** "

" **!Angel! !Snap out of it!** "

" **!Weak femmeling cannot hear thou, a mistake Skydawn shall regret! !To disgrace thine line with such impurity! !To dare believe such one could complete thine Creed!** " Silver claws dripped with tiny droplets of Energon, slight lacerations in Ironhide's forearms that his self-repair had healed nearly instantly. That did not quell his anger, however. Logically, he knew that she wasn't in control, and that was the reason why he hadn't simply shot her. A battle cry from behind nearly made him lose focus, however, barely dodging another swipe of Angel's razor-sharp claws. A blur of gold and silver flashed past him on either side, the twins lashing out with their fists and managing to knock her frame back.

= **!Easy! The femmelin' is not in control, this is one of the Masters,** = he warned, shrugging off Ratchet with the medic stepped close, automatically scanning the Weapons Specialist. = **Nonlethal damage and immobilizin' only,** =

= **Take all the fun out of it, 'Hide,** = Sideswipe snarked, ducking a swipe when she recovered her balance from being clothes-lined by the two. Their blades shifted in and out of their wrist sheaths, before locking back as she came at them, also noting the oddity with her wings.

= **She is not using her blades, her wings are in fact obstructing her movements,** = Sunstreaker analyzed, circling her, Sideswipe flanking her as they rotated back and forth, their mobility increased due to the modification to their pedes. They had opted for a transformation modification, being able to shift from a wheeled-pede-format to their standard pede-format. It utilized their strengths in speed, mobility, and agility.

= **You are right, Sunny, but they make impressive shields either way,** = Sideswipe noted. As the two formulated a strategy, Ironhide was analyzing their movements, as well as the back and forth motion of their new Ward.

' _ **Well, I have a sparring exercise now, even if it is not quite what I wanted,**_ ' he thought grimly. He observed with intent optics as Sunstreaker feinted, Sidewipe twirling into motion at his brother's distraction, nailing a sharp blow against her side, ripping a pained growl as she whipped around, lunging at him. Instead, a sharp blow from Sunstreaker slammed into her back, between her wings, a howl of rage escaping, as well as a harsh litany of curses. Both twins noted the harsh grating masculine vocals, instantly compared it to her original vocals, and confirmed Ironhide's words.

= **Go high Sunny,** = Sideswipe ducked as his brother did, noting the sensor disruptor nano-kliks after him.

= **Take out the disruptor, hopefully it will drop her frame,** =

= **Got it,** = Moving with the ease of being one Spark, two frames, Sunstreaker distracted her again as Sideswipe snapped out one blade, slicing it up and through the device, without even nicking her plating. As they hoped, the device sputtered before falling from its hold, her frame seizing for several kliks, dropping her to her knees and servos. As he skated around, coming up in front of her, as his twin mirrored him behind her, Sideswipe didn't notice the shift in time.

= **!Sideswipe!** = Her wings arched up, flaring open as her legs lunged forward, body-tackling him back and pinning him to the tarmac. All movement ceased, her clawed pedes pinning his arms as she crouched on his chassis, her left servo around his vulnerable neck cabling. Partly unfurled, her wings blocked the others from seeing. His optics flared, frame tense as he stared up as her other claws flashed, arching up and closing together, the wicked points easily able to slice through his throat, and aimed to do just that.

= **!SIDESWIPE!** = Complete and utter terror.

* * *

The moment the twins sliced the disrupter, Elly got the upper hand, spinning Sharrow around with a leg sweep. Eerily like when she was running from the Autobots, her frame instinctively slid into combat positions and stances. She let only a moment of amusement flash in her Spark, noting the main use of her legs and clawed pedes, longer reach, and almost break-dancing style of fighting her frame had adapted.

~ **!Insolent femmeling! !Know thine betters and submit!** ~

~ **!This is MY frame, MY body, MY Spark, MY LIFE! !GO FRAG YOURSELF YOU ANCIENT SCRAPPED JUNKYARD!** ~ Elly slammed her claws into his face-plates, jumping up and raking her pede-talons down his chassis as he staggered back. Her wings flashed out, batting him away as she spun, ducking but flashing out one leg to slam her clawed-pede into his face, the talons catching his armor and ripping the protective plates off his helm. A follow up kick to his chin sent him falling backwards, laying prone, before dissolving away as her consciousness regained control.

* * *

Her optics blinked, shifting from the cold rust, to bright golden, as she stared down at Sideswipe's startled face-plates, regaining control as her claws descended, diverting the blow from his throat. Easing forward, feeling pain erupt down her side, her other servo gently released his neck, settling on his chassis as she started to slump forward, pain and mental exhaustion making darkness creep on her vision.

" **By Primus, I swear to uphold my Oaths of service, to keep the secrets passed down to me. I swear to guard them with my life, to sacrifice all I am. To use this knowledge to better Cybertron, to better all Cybertronians, to protect them, to comfort them, to give everything I have, so they have a better future. So mote it be, until all are one.** " A shaky breath left her as she reaffirmed her Oaths, optics locking with his, " **I swear to protect…** " both their optics looked down to her right side, where her claws were deeply embedded into the side and hip joint. " **I swear, to protect them,** " her optics fluttered, her coloration brightening back into their original deep blues and greens. Sideswipe numbly stared up at her. His processors whirled as the implications of her words and actions hit him like a warship. For a long klik, their fields swirled together, Sideswipe easily reading the honesty, determination, pain, and loneliness swirling inside.

And then a plasma shot slammed into her, sending her flying off him, skidding and rolling on the harsh tarmac.

* * *

The claws descended sharply, the points slicing through the air, and ripping into plating and lines, Energon spilling and squirting out in a bright splashing arc. As the wings lowered, Ironhide loosed his cannon, the plasma shot slamming into the relaxing wings, sending her frame crashing and rolling several hundred meters down the tarmac to lay silently.

Sunstreaker loosed a bloodcurdling scream, racing to his prone brother even as Ratchet raced to his side as well. For a long two nano-kliks, everyone stood frozen, before Sideswipe sat up, optics whirling as he stared at her still form, ignoring his panicked brother and the stunned CMO scanning him for injuries that he did not have.

" **?What? ?The Energon…?** "

" **Is hers,** " Sideswipe blinked up at the CMO, his EM field fluttering with apprehension, confusion, and slow comprehension. " **!Ratchet! !She swore an Oath of Protection!** " Ratchet's frame seized before he jumped over the silver twin, racing towards the devastatingly-silent form. Reaching her side, spotting the large puddle of Energon that had already spilled onto the ground around her, having noted the smears and drips trailing to her, he forced her onto her back, her wings and limbs rolling limply. His optics noticed her bright coloration had returned, except for the deep puncture in her side and hip. The plating there was a fading gray, slowly spreading as more Energon gushed forward. Her servo up to her wrist was covered in the life-fluid that spilled like a torrent from her injury, his Spark clenching at the realization even as his scans returned. She had punctured her own hide, slicing through several Energon cables, instead of breaking her Oath and harming Sideswipe. He wasn't even aware that he had automatically begun clamping shut the torn cables and lines, eons of war forcing his servos to automatically start repairing the damages before him. Heavy pedes made the ground shake as the others finally caught up, forming a circle as Jolt knelt, assisting him with the damage, even as they took in her limp frame.

" **?Ratchet?** "

" **Self-inflicted puncture damaged her hip joint, internal struts, and sliced cleanly through two major Energon lines as well as several tension cables, not to mention her dermal plating and armor.** " As Jolt took over the smaller repair, Ratchet scrutinized his scans in more depth, still clearing the pooled Energon before risking repair to the Energon lines. " **?You shot her with a nullifying plasma burst, correct?** "

" **Yes,** "

" **Good, otherwise she would be in severe agony right now,** "

" **Damn right I am,** " the weakened voice held the familiar soft tones Ratchet knew. His optics shot up to see her golden ones flutter briefly open, her facial-plates twisting just slightly as pain registered. " **?What the slag hit me?** "

" **?Besides two twins, a self-inflicted puncture wound, and a null-plasma shot from Ironhide?** " Smokescreen knelt by her helm, looking worriedly down at her. Her optics flickered, opening a bit to squint up at him.

" **?Oh, is that all? Damn Sharrow,** " she was silent for a long moment, long enough they thought she had offlined, before her helm twitched a bit. " **I'm sorry,** "

" **?Femmeling?** "

" **Sharrow took control, cuz Avris was a douche, and decided it was time to integrate. Lore put em in his place though,** " her optics fluttered again, a shaky vent escaping her.

" **We do not blame you for this lapse, especially since you alone stopped from offlining Sideswipe,** " Smokescreen glanced up at the surrounding mechs, noting a varied mix of expressions. Ironhide was solemn and gruff, but an inkling of guilt was growing in his optics and tense frame, Jolt was in shock at the sudden violence, but was assisting Ratchet admirably. Sunstreaker looked torn between confusion and rage, his optics glancing between the prone femmeling and his brother, and Sideswipe was staring down at Angel with a mix of shock, confusion, and awe. All of their fields were withdrawn, muted, except for a tiny nearly undetectable pulsing between the twins.

" **No,** " the denial was soft, catching all their attention, her golden optics opening. The agony in her optics nearly made them flinch, agony and angst, as lubricant spilled down her cheeks. " **I was stupid… for believing… that I could… help… anyone. I can't even… control this frame…** "

" **You will learn, femmeling,** " Ratchet paused, leaning forward to stare into her anguished face. " **We will help you,** " The dark look remained in her optics, along with an emotion that they had all felt: hopelessness. " **Rest now, femmeling, I am giving you a pain neutralizer and sedative.** " He pressed one of his digits to her neck cabling, an internally mixed compound injecting into her system and bringing sweet oblivion to the devastated femmeling. He watched carefully as her systems slipped into a forced but healing stasis, nodding once she was completely under. Finishing the stabilizing of her wounds, the others helped him carry her down to the underground bunkers that were the Autobots' territory. She would be properly repaired in his small Medbay before being transferred back up to her private hangar. As an unknown, they were not going to risk her hacking into the base, despite their recent observations and understanding of her character, security protocols were to be followed.

* * *

(Warning: Disturbing Content.)

* * *

It was dark…

"Elly~ what'cha doin'~ Elly~"

Sweet, familiar voices… echoing in the dark…

"Sammi~ wait for me!" that was her voice, right?

"Elly? Don't follow me Elly,"

"But Sammi, Sammi? Sammi!? Sammi! Where are you?!"

Elly's eyes opened, looking around confused. "Sammi? Where are you?" she could hear the chatter and laughter of family and friends in the backyard. For a moment, she wanted to return to the sunshine, to listen to the stories between her dad and his war buddies, run around her mom and her aunts and cousins, but she couldn't. She had to find her big sister Sammi. Her chest was hot, and a bad feeling was rising, despite the happiness and joy behind her. Walking through the kitchen, she didn't notice that her head was barely level with the counter. "Sammi?" she could feel her sister, her chest pulsing as she followed a nigh silent call. Pushing open the basement door, she paused, feeling the pain and fear, the shame. Her throat closed up, tears prickling against her eyes, even as she slowly descended the steps.

Quiet sobs, and an angry voice slurring.

Peeking past the stairs, she recognized her Uncle's back. His mean words didn't make much sense, she didn't understand them, and why was Sammi kneeling on the floor in front of him? Why was her new dress so messy and torn on top? Her eyes spotted the empty bottle next to him, and the lit cigarette in his left hand, even as his right was fumbling with his front. Was he pulling off his belt? Was he going to hit them with it again? She didn't like him. Nana told her not to be alone with him, if she was scared of him. She wasn't scared of him. Not before. Seeing Sammi's scared face, however, made her scared. Stepping around the railing, she saw Sammi notice her. Her big sister's eyes got big, a choked denial escaping her lips, before their Uncle turned. What is that? Why was Uncle's pants unzipped? What was that thing poking up out of his underwear? Why was it leaking?

She didn't have a chance.

He grabbed her, even as Sammi cried out, yelling and crying, until he backhanded her. Elly drew back, staring at the bright red mark on her Sissy's cheek, then pain. She let out a squeak of pain before her face was pushed deep into the rug on the floor, a burning pain pressing down on her side, once, twice, three times. Peeking up, past his fingers, he scoffed as he threw away the crushed cigarette, instead, his hand knocked over the bottle, shattering it. She cried again, struggling, when he picked up a large piece, then slowly, slowly, sliced into her back, above her right hip. Sammi yelled again, holding her cheek, making him stand, stumbling, before he leered at her, grabbing that thing and waving it at her. Elly couldn't hear what he was saying, she was silently crying from the pain, but she saw the fear in her sister's eyes, she saw what looked like defeat as she sat up and hesitantly reached out to grab him.

She saw red…

Moments later, or was it minutes, people were screaming as they ran downstairs. Elly was standing in front of her sister, the half bottle clutched in her hands, blood dripping down. Her Uncle was screaming, writhing on the ground, blood pouring from his stomach, thigh, and between his legs, a bloody lump on the floor next to him. Sammi's arms were wrapped around her sides, her cheek resting against her back, and both of them were trembling, crying.

Darkness descended…

"Mama, Dad, did I do good? I save Sammi, did I do good?"

"…"

"Mama?"

"You did good, sweetie, you did good,"

"…"

"Dad?"

"You did good, darling. But, you must promise, to be careful. You can't go around hurting people,"

"I know Dad, but he hurt Sammi,"

"… I know darling, and that's okay. You protected your sister, that's good, but don't go around hurting people, just because you can, because you're stronger than em,"

"I won't Dad,"

"That's my good girl,"

"I love you Dad,"

"I, I love you too,"

* * *

Her eyes fluttered open, she felt content, warm, like she was cocooned. Opening her eyes, however, revealed an astonishing sight. She was floating in space, staring deep into the endless void, passing colorful nebula, witnessing black holes, comets, asteroid fields, planets with rings. Everywhere she turned her head, more colors, more fantastical images that scientists would kill to see.

~ **?Yes, it is magnificent, isn't it?** ~ a metallic voice, behind her? Turning her head, she instead found herself facing a mirror. Her reflection, however, was her Cybertronian-self, and reaching out, she realized she was her human-self. ~ **You still haven't accepted me as you,** ~ her mouth didn't move, human-Elly realized, and deep down she knew her words were true.

~Lie to others all you want,~

~ **But never to yourself,** ~ cyber-Elly answered. She stared at herself for a long moment. ~ **We had forgotten that memory,** ~

~Yes, we did, but why now?~

~ **?Before we can integrate the others, shouldn't we accept ourselves first?** ~

~I know but,~

~ **?Then perhaps you should realize something strange about our memory?** ~

~Strange? What isn't strange?! Our Uncle molested our big sister Sammi! He physically tortured me, left scars on my back that I constantly hide, and I, nearly, killed him,~

~ **?Do you regret it?** ~

~Depends,~

~ **You regret not killing him, but not for defending yourself and your sister. That isn't what I was talking about, though,** ~

~Then what were you talking about?~

~ **Dad's reaction,** ~

~What?~

~ **He wasn't acting right, not while you were lying in the hospital bed, asking if you were good for protecting Sammi.** ~

~He was in shock, what do you expect? His uncle was caught molesting and torturing his two small daughters, and had to be taken to the hospital before he bled out!~

~ **He told us not to hurt anyone, despite being stronger than others,** ~

~Yes, because he didn't want me growing up thinking it was alright to attack or bully other people!~

~ **?And tell me, why did we forget that memory? ?Why is it, we completely forgot how we got that scar, why our grand-uncle is imprisoned, and why we were trained defensively to the point where we can't even defend ourselves unless someone else is hurt?** ~

~I, I don't,~

~ **?There was someone at the hospital, someone who talked to Dad, remember?** ~

~A doctor, I think? I can't really remember,~

~ **Dad said he was a friend from work; that he would give us something for the pain, and after that, we woke up, and Mom and Dad were telling us about how our Uncle was not allowed near us again, but we couldn't remember why. It was a memory suppressant,** ~

~But why?~

~ **I believe, it was because they didn't want us to remember that, but after that, I think, no,** _ **I know**_ **, that Dad was hiding something. That isn't our only suppressed memory,** ~

~Wait, if you're me, then how do you know this?~

~ **?Cybertronians have a far superior memory recall than humans, remember?** ~ cyber-Elly rolled her optics, ~ **Also, memory suppressants and blocks are tricky to get perfect. They are constantly being analyzed and triple-checked against other memories and facts, until it breaks down or inconsistencies become obvious. As our frame settles more, we have been subconsciously analyzing our memories and, well, reformatting them basically.** ~

~So then what does this mean? Dad was hiding stuff, okay, what parent doesn't hide stuff from their kids?~ human-Elly scoffed.

~ **The fact that Dad was working with Cybertronians, and/or their technology,** ~

* * *

"Hello" = speaking

'Hello' = thoughts

= _Hello_ = = com-links

~Hello~ = internal com

" **Bold** " = spoken Common

 **Breem** – roughly 8 Earth minutes.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Stay Creative!

Firefly


End file.
